University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

From  the  Collection  of 
Joseph  Z.  Todd 

Gift  of 
Hatherly  B.  Todd 


ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON 


Vol.  IV 


PRINCE  OTTO  t  k  ISLAND 
NIGHTS'  ENTERTAINMENTS 
Sg  FATHER  DAMIEN    t    t    t 


j|r  >f^ 


M 


^  v; 


^^ 


THE  NOVELS  AND 
TALES  OF  ROBERT 
LOUIS   STl       MSON     I 


i  OTTO  t  ISLAND 

HTS'^^tNtERTAIN- 
THER  DAMIEN 


^PUBLISHED  IN 
N^EWYORK  B^ 
CHARLES  BNER'S 

SONS     *      %  •  '      *■ 


ii!;iftw»r»w»Mii'WWln 


Uma, 
Draun  hv  J.  ALL) EN  IVF/R. 


*  THE  NOVELS  AND 
TALES  OF  ROBERT 
LOUIS   STEVENSON 


PRINCE  OTTO  t  ISLAND 
NIGHTS'  ENTERTAIN- 
MENTS 5fe  FATHER  DAMIEN 


SfePUBLISHED  IN 
NEW  YORK  BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S 
SONS     Sg      Sg      1907      * 


Copyright,  1892,  1893,  1895,  by 
Robert  Louis  Stevenson 


CONTENTS 


PRINCE  OTTO  :   A  Romance 


ISLAND  NIGHTS'  ENTERTAINMENTS     ...  239 

Consisting  of  The  Beach  of  Falesa,  The  Bottle  Imp, 
The  Isle  of  Voices 

FATHER  DAMIEN 411 

An  open   letter  to  the   Reverend   Doctor   Hyde  of 
Honolulu 


PRINCE  OTTO:  A  ROMANCE 


Book  I 
PRINCE  ERRANT 

CHAPTER  PAGB 

I    In  which  the  Prince  departs  on  an  Adventure  ...       i 
II     In  which  the  Prince  plays  Haroun-al-Raschid  ...      6 

III  In  which  the  Prince  comforts  Age  and  Beauty  and 

delivers  a  Lecture  on  Discretion  in  Love      ...     i8 

IV  In  which  the  Prince  collects  Opinions  by  the  Way   .     31 


Book  II 
OF  LOVE   AND   POLITICS 

I     What  happened  in  the  Library 49 

II     "On  the  Court  of  Grunewald,"  being  a  portion  of  the 

Traveller's  Manuscript 62 

III  The  Prince  and  the  English  Traveller 70 

IV  While  the  Prince  is  in  the  Ante-room ....  79 

V      GONDREMARK    IS    IN    MY    LaDY's    ChAMBER         ....       86 

VI     The   Prince   delivers   a    Lecture    on    Marriage,    with 

Practical  Illustrations  of  Divorce 94 

VII     The  Prince  dissolves  the  Council lo/j 

VIII     The  Party  of  War  takes  Action 115 

IX    The  Price  of  the   River  Farm;    in  which  Vain-Glory 

GOES  before  a  Fall 123 

X    Gotthold's  Revised  Opinion;  and  the  Fall  completed  137 

XI     Providence  Von  Rosen  :  Act  the  First  :    She  beguiles 

the  Baron 147 

XII     Providence  Von  Rosen  :  Act  the  Second  :  She  informs 

the  Prince 155 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAG5 

XI n     Providence  Von  Rosen:  Act  the  Third:  She  enlight- 
ens Seraphina 167 

XIV     Relates  the  cause  and  outbreak  of  the  Revolution  175 


Book  III 
FORTUNATE   MISFORTUNE 

I    Princess  Cinderella 189 

II    Treats  of  a  Christian  Virtue 209 

III  Providence  Von  Rosen  :   Act  the  Last  :  in  which  she 

Gallops  off 216 

IV  Babes  in  the  Wood 227 

Biographical  Postscript  to  complete  the  Story     ....  236 

ISLAND  NIGHTS'  ENTERTAINMENTS 

THE  BEACH   OF  FALESA:   Being  the  Narrative  of  a  South- 
Sea  Trader 

I  A  South-Sea  Bridal 243 

II  The  Ban 258 

III  The  Missionary 284 

IV  Devil-work 299 

V  Night  in  the  Bush 321 

THE  BOTTLE  IMP 339 

THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 383 

?^ 

FATHER  DAMIEN 

Reprinted  from  The  Scots'  Observer 413 


TO 

NELLY  VAN  DE  GRIFT 

(Mrs.  Adulfo  Sanchez,  of  Monterey) 

At  last,  after  so  many  years,  I  have  the  pleasure  of  re-introducing  you 
to  Prince  Otto,  whom  you  will  remember  a  very  little  fellow,  no 
bigger  in  fact  than  a  few  sheets  of  memoranda  written  for  me  by 
your  kind  hand.  The  sight  of  his  name  will  carry  you  back  to  an 
old  wooden  house  embowered  in  creepers;  a  house  that  was  far  gone 
in  the  respectable  stages  of  antiquity  and  seemed  indissoluble  from 
the  green  garden  in  which  it  stood,  and  that  yet  was  a  sea-traveller 
in  its  younger  days,  and  had  come  round  the  Horn  piecemeal  in  the 
belly  of  a  ship,  and  might  have  heard  the  seamen  stamping  and 
shouting  and  the  note  of  the  boatswain's  whistle.  It  will  recall  to 
you  the  nondescript  inhabitants  now  so  widely  scattered: — the  two 
horses,  the  dog,  and  the  four  cats,  some  of  them  still  looking  in  your 
face  as  you  read  these  lines; — the  poor  lady,  so  unfortunately  mar- 
ried to  an  author; — the  China  boy,  by  this  time,  perhaps,  baiting  his 
line  by  the  banks  of  a  river  in  the  Flowery  Land;— and  in  particular 
the  Scot  who  was  then  sick  apparently  unto  death,  and  whom  you 
did  so  much  to  cheer  and  keep  in  good  behaviour. 

You  may  remember  that  he  was  full  of  ambitions  and  designs:  so 
soon  as  he  had  his  health  again  completely,  you  may  remember  the 
fortune  he  was  to  earn,  the  journeys  he  was  to  go  upon,  the  de- 
lights he  was  to  enjoy  and  confer,  and  (among  other  matters)  the 
masterpiece  he  was  to  make  of  Prince  Otto  ! 

Well,  we  will  not  give  in  that  we  are  finally  beaten.  We  read  to- 
gether in  those  days  the  story  of  Braddock,  and  how,  as  he  was  car- 


DEDICATION 

ried  dying  from  the  scene  of  his  defeat,  he  promised  himself  to  do 
better  another  time :  a  story  that  will  always  touch  a  brave  heart, 
and  a  dying  speech  worthy  of  a  more  fortunate  commander.  I  try  to 
be  of  Braddock's  mind.  I  still  mean  to  get  my  health  again;  I  still 
purpose,  by  hook  or  crook,  this  book  or  the  next,  to  launch  a  mas- 
terpiece; and  I  still  intend  —  somehow,  some  time  or  other  —  to  see 
your  face  and  to  hold  your  hand. 

Meanwhile,  this  little  paper  traveller  goes  forth  instead,  crosses  the 
great  seas  and  the  long  plains  and  the  dark  mountains,  and  comes  at 
last  to  your  door  in  Monterey,  charged  with  tender  greetings.  Pray 
you,  take  him  in.  He  comes  from  a  house  where  (even  as  in  your 
own)  there  are  gathered  together  some  of  the  waifs  of  our  company 
of  Oakland;  a  house  —  for  all  its  outlandish  Gaelic  name  and  dis- 
tant station  —  where  you  are  well-beloved. 

R.  L.  S. 
Skerryvore, 
Bournemouth. 


PRINCE  OTTO 

A   ROMANCE 

BOOK  I 

PRINCE  ERRANT 


CHAPTER  I 

IN   WHICH   THE  PRINCE   DEPARTS  ON   AN   ADVENTURE 

YOU  shall  seek  in  vain  upon  the  map  of  Europe  for 
the  bygone  state  of  Grunewald.  An  independent 
principality,  an  infinitesimal  member  of  the  German  Em- 
pire, she  played,  for  several  centuries,  her  part  in  the 
discord  of  Europe;  and,  at  last,  in  the  ripeness  of  time 
and  at  the  spiriting  of  several  bald  diplomatists,  vanished 
like  a  morning  ghost.  Less  fortunate  than  Poland,  she 
left  not  a  regret  behind  her;  and  the  very  memory  of 
her  boundaries  has  faded. 

It  was  a  patch  of  hilly  country  covered  with  thick 
wood.  Many  streams  took  their  beginning  in  the  glens 
of  Grunewald,  turning  mills  for  the  inhabitants.  There 
was  one  town,  Mittwalden,  and  many  brown,  wooden 
hamlets,  climbing  roof  above  roof,  along  the  steep  bot- 
tom of  dells,  and  communicating  by  covered  bridges 
over  the  larger  of  the  torrents.  The  hum  of  watermills, 
the  splash  of  running  water,  the  clean  odour  of  pine 
sawdust,  the  sound  and  the  smell  of  the  pleasant  wind 
among  the  innumerable  army  of  the  mountain  pines,  the 
dropping  fire  of  huntsmen,  the  dull  stroke  of  the  wood- 
axe,  intolerable  roads,  fresh  trout  for  supper  in  the  clean 
bare  chamber  of  an  inn,  and  the  song  of  birds  and  the 
music  of  the  village-bells  —  these  were  the  recollections 
of  the  GrCinewald  tourist. 


PRINCE  OTTO 

North  and  east  the  foothills  of  Grunewald  sank  with 
varying  profile  into  a  vast  plain.  On  these  sides  many 
small  states  bordered  with  the  principality,  Gerolstein, 
an  extinct  grand  duchy,  among  the  number.  On  the 
south  it  marched  with  the  comparatively  powerful  king- 
dom of  Seaboard  Bohemia,  celebrated  for  its  flowers  and 
mountain  bears,  and  inhabited  by  a  people  of  singular 
simplicity  and  tenderness  of  heart.  Several  intermar- 
riages had,  in  the  course  of  centuries,  united  the  crowned 
families  of  Grunewald  and  maritime  Bohemia;  and  the 
last  Prince  of  Grunewald,  whose  history  I  purpose  to  re- 
late, drew  his  descent  through  Perdita,  the  only  daugh- 
ter of  King  Florizel  the  First  of  Bohemia.  That  these 
intermarriages  had  in  some  degree  mitigated  the  rough, 
manly  stock  of  the  first  Grunewalds,  was  an  opinion 
widely  held  within  the  borders  of  the  principality.  The 
charcoal  burner,  the  mountain  sawyer,  the  wielder  of 
the  broad  axe  among  the  congregated  pines  of  Grune- 
wald, proud  of  their  hard  hands,  proud  of  their  shrewd 
ignorance  and  almost  savage  lore,  looked  with  an  un- 
feigned contempt  on  the  soft  character  and  manners  of 
the  sovereign  race. 

The  precise  year  of  grace  in  which  this  tale  begins 
shall  be  left  to  the  conjecture  of  the  reader.  But  for  the 
season  of  the  year  (which,  in  such  a  story,  is  the  more 
important  of  the  two)  it  was  already  so  far  forward  in 
the  spring,  that  when  mountain  people  heard  horns 
echoing  all  day  about  the  north-west  corner  of  the  prin- 
cipality, they  told  themselves  that  Prince  Otto  and  his 
hunt  were  up  and  out  for  the  last  time  till  the  return  of 
autumn. 

At  this  point  the  borders  of  Grunewald  descend  some- 


IN   WHICH  THE  PRINCE   DEPARTS  ON   AN   ADVENTURE 

what  Steeply,  here  and  there  breaking  into  crags;  and 
this  shaggy  and  trackless  country  stands  in  a  bold  con- 
trast to  the  cultivated  plain  below.  It  was  traversed  at 
that  period  by  two  roads  alone ;  one,  the  imperial  high- 
way, bound  to  Brandenau  in  Gerolstein,  descended  the 
slope  obliquely  and  by  the  easiest  gradients.  The  other 
ran  like  a  fillet  across  the  very  forehead  of  the  hills,  dip- 
ping into  savage  gorges,  and  wetted  by  the  spray  of 
tiny  waterfalls.  Once  it  passed  beside  a  certain  tower 
or  castle,  built  sheer  upon  the  margin  of  a  formidable 
cliff,  and  commanding  a  vast  prospect  of  the  skirts  of 
Grunewald  and  the  busy  plains  of  Gerolstein.  The  Fel- 
senburg  (so  this  tower  was  called)  served  now  as  a 
prison,  now  as  a  hunting-seat;  and  for  all  it  stood  so 
lonesome  to  the  naked  eye,  with  the  aid  of  a  good  glass 
the  burghers  of  Brandenau  could  count  its  windows 
from  the  lime-tree  terrace  where  they  walked  at  night. 
In  the  wedge  of  forest  hillside  enclosed  between  the 
roads,  the  horns  continued  all  day  long  to  scatter  tumult; 
and  at  length,  as  the  sun  began  to  draw  near  to  the 
horizon  of  the  plain,  a  rousing  triumph  announced  the 
slaughter  of  the  quarry.  The  first  and  second  huntsman 
had  drawn  somewhat  aside,  and  from  the  summit  of  a 
knoll  gazed  down  before  them  on  the  drooping  shoul- 
ders of  the  hill  and  across  the  expanse  of  plain.  They 
covered  their  eyes,  for  the  sun  was  in  their  faces.  The 
glory  of  its  going  down  was  somewhat  pale.  Through 
the  confused  tracery  of  many  thousands  of  naked  pop- 
lars, the  smoke  of  so  many  houses,  and  the  evening 
steam  ascending  from  the  fields,  the  sails  of  a  windmill 
on  a  gentle  eminence  moved  very  conspicuously,  like  a 
donkey's  ears.     And  hard  by,  like  an  open  gash,  the 

3 


PRINCE  OTTO 

imperial  highroad  ran  straight  sunward,  an  artery  of 
travel. 

There  is  one  of  nature's  spiritual  ditties,  that  has  not 
yet  been  set  to  words  or  human  music :  *'  The  Invitation 
to  the  Road; "  an  air  continually  sounding  in  the  ears 
of  gipsies,  and  to  whose  inspiration  our  nomadic  fathers 
journeyed  all  their  days.  The  hour,  the  season,  and 
the  scene,  all  were  in  delicate  accordance.  The  air  was 
full  of  birds  of  passage,  steering  westward  and  north- 
ward over  Grunewald,  an  army  of  specks  to  the  up- 
looking  eye.  And  below,  the  great  practicable  road 
was  bound  for  the  same  quarter. 

But  to  the  two  horsemen  on  the  knoll  this  spiritual 
ditty  was  unheard.  They  were,  indeed,  in  some  con- 
cern of  mind,  scanning  every  fold  of  the  subjacent  for- 
est, and  betraying  both  anger  and  dismay  in  their  im- 
patient gestures. 

'M  do  not  see  him,  Kuno,"  said  the  first  huntsman, 
''nowhere — not  a  trace,  not  a  hair  of  the  mare's  tail! 
No,  sir,  he's  off;  broke  cover  and  got  away.  Why,  for 
twopence  I  would  hunt  him  with  the  dogs! " 

"Mayhap,  he's  gone  home,"  said  Kuno,  but  without 
conviction. 

''Home!"  sneered  the  other.  "I  give  him  twelve 
days  to  get  home.  No,  it's  begun  again ;  it's  as  it  was 
three  years  ago,  before  he  married ;  a  disgrace !  Hered- 
itary prince,  hereditary  fool!  There  goes  the  govern- 
ment over  the  borders  on  a  grey  mare.  What's  that  ? 
No,  nothing  —  no,  I  tell  you,  on  my  word,  I  set  more 
store  by  a  good  gelding  or  an  English  dog.  That  for 
your  Otto!" 

"  He's  not  my  Otto,  "  growled  Kuno. 

4 


IN   WHICH  THE  PRINCE   DEPARTS  ON   AN   ADVENTURE 

"Then  I  don't  know  whose  he  is,"  was  the  retort. 

*' You  would  put  your  hand  in  the  fire  for  him  to- 
morrow," said  Kuno,  facing  round. 

**MeI"  cried  the  huntsman.  **I  would  see  him 
hanged  I  I'm  a  Grunewald  patriot  —  enrolled,  and 
have  my  medal,  too;  and  I  would  help  a  prince!  I'm 
for  liberty  and  Gondremark." 

'*  Well,  it's  all  one,"  said  Kuno.  'Mf  anybody  said 
what  you  said,  you  would  have  his  blood,  and  you 
know  it." 

"You  have  him  on  the  brain,"  retorted  his  compan- 
ion.    "  There  he  goes!  "  he  cried,  the  next  moment. 

And  sure  enough,  about  a  mile  down  the  mountain, 
a  rider  on  a  white  horse  was  seen  to  flit  rapidly  across 
a  heathy  open  and  vanish  among  the  trees  on  the  far- 
ther side. 

"In  ten  minutes  he'll  be  over  the  border  into  Gerol- 
stein,"  said  Kuno.     "  It's  past  cure." 

"Well,  if  he  founders  that  mare,  I'll  never  forgive 
him,"  added  the  other,  gathering  his  reins. 

And  as  they  turned  down  from  the  knoll  to  rejoin 
their  comrades,  the  sun  dipped  and  disappeared,  and 
the  woods  fell  instantly  into  the  gravity  and  greyness 
of  the  early  night. 


CHAPTER  II 

IN  WHICH  THE  PRINCE  PLAYS   HAROUN-AL-RASCHID 

The  night  fell  upon  the  Prince  while  he  was  thread- 
ing green  tracks  in  the  lower  valleys  of  the  wood;  and 
though  the  stars  came  out  overhead  and  displayed  the 
interminable  order  of  the  pine-tree  pyramids,  regular 
and  dark  like  cypresses,  their  light  was  of  small  service 
to  a  traveller  in  such  lonely  paths,  and  from  thenceforth 
he  rode  at  random.  The  austere  face  of  nature,  the  un- 
certain issue  of  his  course,  the  open  sky  and  the  free  air, 
delighted  him  like  wine;  and  the  hoarse  chafing  of  a 
river  on  his  left  sounded  in  his  ears  agreeably. 

It  was  past  eight  at  night  before  his  toil  was  rewarded 
and  he  issued  at  last  out  of  the  forest  on  the  firm  white 
highroad.  It  lay  downhill  before  him,  with  a  sweep- 
ing eastward  trend,  faintly  bright  between  the  thickets; 
and  Otto  paused  and  gazed  upon  it.  So  it  ran,  league 
after  league,  still  joining  others,  to  the  farthest  ends  of 
Europe,  there  skirting  the  sea-surge,  here  gleaming  in 
the  lights  of  cities ;  and  the  innumerable  army  of  tramps 
and  travellers  moved  upon  it  in  all  lands  as  by  a  com- 
mon impulse,  and  were  now  in  all  places  drawing  near 
to  the  inn  door  and  the  night's  rest.  The  pictures 
swarmed  and  vanished  in  his  brain;  a  surge  of  tempta- 
tion, a  beat  of  all  his  blood,  went  over  him,  to  set  spur  to 
the  mare  and  to  go  on  into  the  unknown  for  ever.    And 

6 


IN  WHICH   THE  PRINCE  PLAYS   HAROUN-AL-RASCHID 

then  it  passed  away;  hunger  and  fatigue,  and  that  habit 
of  middling  actions  which  we  call  common  sense,  re- 
sumed their  empire;  and  in  that  changed  mood,  his  eye 
lighted  upon  two  bright  windows  on  his  left  hand,  be- 
tween the  road  and  river. 

He  turned  off  by  a  by-road,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he 
was  knocking  with  his  whip  on  the  door  of  a  large 
farmhouse,  and  a  chorus  of  dogs  from  the  farmyard 
were  making  angry  answer.  A  very  tall,  old,  white- 
headed  man  came,  shading  a  candle,  at  the  summons. 
He  had  been  of  great  strength  in  his  time,  and  of  a 
handsome  countenance;  but  now  he  was  fallen  away, 
his  teeth  were  quite  gone,  and  his  voice  when  he  spoke 
was  broken  and  falsetto. 

"  You  will  pardon  me,"  said  Otto.  "I  am  a  traveller 
and  have  entirely  lost  my  way." 

"Sir,"  said  the  old  man,  in  a  very  stately,  shaky 
manner,  *'  you  are  at  the  River  Farm,  and  I  am  Killian 
Gottesheim,  at  your  disposal.  We  are  here,  sir,  at 
about  an  equal  distance  from  Mittwalden  in  Griinewald 
and  Brandenau  in  Gerolstein:  six  leagues  to  either,  and 
the  road  excellent;  but  there  is  not  a  wine  bush,  not  a 
carter's  alehouse,  anywhere  between.  You  will  have 
to  accept  my  hospitality  for  the  night;  rough  hospital- 
ity, to  which  I  make  you  freely  welcome;  for,  sir,"  he 
added  with  a  bow^  '*it  is  God  who  sends  the  guest." 

"Amen.  And  I  most  heartily  thank  you,"  replied 
Otto,  bowing  in  his  turn. 

"Fritz,"  said  the  old  man,  turning  towards  the  in- 
terior, "lead  round  this  gentleman's  horse;  and  you, 
sir,  condescend  to  enter." 

Otto  entered  a  chamber  occupying  the  greater  part  of 

7 


PRINCE  OTTO 

the  ground-floor  of  the  building.  It  had  probably  once 
been  divided ;  for  the  farther  end  was  raised  by  a  long 
step  above  the  nearer,  and  the  blazing  fire  and  the  white 
supper-table  seemed  to  stand  upon  a  dais.  All  around 
were  dark,  brass-mounted  cabinets  and  cupboards; 
dark  shelves  carrying  ancient  country  crockery;  guns 
and  antlers  and  broadside  ballads  on  the  wall;  a  tall 
old  clock  with  roses  on  the  dial ;  and  down  in  one  cor- 
ner the  comfortable  promise  of  a  wine  barrel.  It  was 
homely,  elegant,  and  quaint. 

A  powerful  youth  hurried  out  to  attend  on  the  grey 
mare;  and  when  Mr.  Killian  Gottesheim  had  presented 
him  to  his  daughter  Ottilia,  Otto  followed  to  the  stable 
as  became,  not  perhaps  the  Prince,  but  the  good  horse- 
man. When  he  returned,  a  smoking  omelette  and  some 
slices  of  home-cured  ham  were  waiting  him;  these 
were  followed  by  a  ragout  and  a  cheese;  and  it  was 
not  until  his  guest  had  entirely  satisfied  his  hunger,  and 
the  whole  party  drew  about  the  fire  over  the  wine  jug, 
that  Killian  Gottesheim's  elaborate  courtesy  permitted 
him  to  address  a  question  to  the  Prince. 

*' You  have  perhaps  ridden  far,  sir.^"  he  inquired. 

**  I  have,  as  you  say,  ridden  far,"  replied  Otto;  **and, 
as  you  have  seen,  I  was  prepared  to  do  justice  to  your 
daughter's  cookery." 

"Possibly,  sir,  from  the  direction  of  Brandenau?" 
continued  Killian. 

"  Precisely :  and  I  should  have  slept  to-night,  had  I  not 
wandered,  in  Mittwalden, "  answered  the  Prince,  weaving 
in  a  patch  of  truth,  according  to  the  habit  of  all  liars. 

*'  Business  leads  you  to  Mittwalden  ?"  was  the  next 
question. 

8 


IN   WHICH   THE   PRINCE  PLAYS   HAROUN-AL-RASCHID 

"Mere  curiosity,"  said  Otto.  "I  have  never  yet 
visited  the  principality  of  Grunewald." 

*' A  pleasant  state,  sir,"  piped  the  old  man,  nodding, 
**a  very  pleasant  state,  and  a  fine  race,  both  pines  and 
people.  We  reckon  ourselves  part  Grunewalders  here, 
lying  so  near  the  borders;  and  the  river  there  is  all  good 
Grunewald  water,  every  drop  of  it.  Yes,  sir,  a  fine 
state.  A  man  of  Grunewald  now  will  swing  me  aq 
axe  over  his  head  that  many  a  man  of  Gerolstein  could 
hardly  lift;  and  the  pines,  why,  deary  me,  there  must 
be  more  pines  in  that  little  state,  sir,  than  people  in  this 
whole  big  world.  'Tis  twenty  years  now  since  I  crossed 
the  marshes,  for  we  grow  home-keepers  in  old  age ;  but 
I  mind  it  as  if  it  was  yesterday.  Up  and  down,  the 
road  keeps  right  on  from  here  to  Mittwalden ;  and  noth- 
ing all  the  way  but  the  good  green  pine-trees,  big  and 
little,  and  water  power!  water  power  at  every  step,  sir. 
We  once  sold  a  bit  of  forest,  up  there  beside  the  high- 
road ;  and  the  sight  of  minted  money  that  we  got  for 
it,  has  set  me  ciphering  ever  since  what  all  the  pines  in 
Grunewald  would  amount  to." 

*'  I  suppose  you  see  nothing  of  the  Prince  ?"  inquired 
Otto. 

*'No,"  said  the  young  man,  speaking  for  the  first 
time,  **  nor  want  to." 

"  Why  so  ?  is  he  so  much  disliked  ?"  asked  Otto. 

**Not  what  you  might  call  disliked,"  replied  the  old 
gentleman,  *' but  despised,  sir." 

**  Indeed,"  said  the  Prince,  somewhat  faintly. 

**Yes,  sir,  despised,"  nodded  Killian,  filling  a  long 
pipe,  "and,  to  my  way  of  thinking,  justly  despised. 
Here  is  a  man  with  great  opportunities,  and  what  does 

9 


PRINCE  OTTO 

he  do  with  them  ?  He  hunts,  and  he  dresses  very 
prettily  —  which  is  a  thing  to  be  ashamed  of  in  a  man 
—  and  he  acts  plays;  and  if  he  does  aught  else,  the 
news  of  it  has  not  come  here." 

"Yet  these  are  all  innocent,"  said  Otto.  *'What 
would  you  have  him  do  —  make  war.?" 

"No,  sir,"  replied  the  old  man.  "But  here  it  is;  I 
have  been  fifty  years  upon  this  River  Farm,  and  wrought 
in  it,  day  in,  day  out;  I  have  ploughed  and  sowed  and 
reaped,  and  risen  early,  and  waked  late;  and  this  is  the 
upshot :  that  all  these  years  it  has  supported  me  and  my 
family;  and  been  the  best  friend  that  ever  I  had,  set 
aside  my  wife;  and  now,  when  my  time  comes,  I  leave 
it  a  better  farm  than  when  I  found  it.  So  it  is,  if  a  man 
works  hearty  in  the  order  of  nature,  he  gets  bread  and 
he  receives  comfort,  and  whatever  he  touches  breeds. 
And  it  humbly  appears  to  me,  if  that  Prince  was  to  labour 
on  his  throne,  as  I  have  laboured  and  wrought  in  my 
farm,  he  would  find  both  an  increase  and  a  blessing." 

"I  believe  with  you,  sir,"  Otto  said;  "and  yet  the 
parallel  is  inexact.  For  the  farmer's  life  is  natural  and 
simple;  but  the  prince's  is  both  artificial  and  compli- 
cated. It  is  easy  to  do  right  in  the  one,  and  exceedingly 
difficult  not  to  do  wrong  in  the  other.  If  your  crop  is 
blighted,  you  can  take  off  your  bonnet  and  say,  '  God's 
will  be  done ' ;  but  if  the  prince  meets  with  a  reverse, 
he  may  have  to  blame  himself  for  the  attempt.  And 
perhaps,  if  all  the  kings  in  Europe  were  to  confine  them- 
selves to  innocent  amusement,  the  subjects  would  be 
the  better  off." 

"Ay,"  said  the  young  man  Fritz,  "you  are  in  the 
right  of  it  there.     That  was  a  true  word  spoken.     And 


IN   WHICH   THE   PRINCE   PLAYS   HAROUN-AL-RASCHID 

I  see  you  are  like  me,  a  good  patriot  and  an  enemy  to 
princes." 

Otto  was  somewhat  abashed  at  this  deduction,  and 
he  made  haste  to  change  his  ground.  "  But,"  said  he, 
*'  you  surprise  me  by  what  you  say  of  this  Prince  Otto. 
I  have  heard  him,  I  must  own,  more  favourably  painted. 
I  was  told  he  was,  in  his  heart,  a  good  fellow,  and  the 
enemy  of  no  one  but  himself." 

**  And  so  he  is,  sir,"  said  the  girl,  "a  very  handsome, 
pleasant  prince;  and  we  know  some  who  would  shed 
their  blood  for  him." 

*  *  O !     Kuno !  "  said  Fritz.     ' '  An  ignoramus ! " 

''Ay,  Kuno,  to  be  sure,"  quavered  the  old  farmer. 
"  Well,  since  this  gentleman  is  a  stranger  to  these  parts, 
and  curious  about  the  Prince,  I  do  believe  that  story 
might  divert  him.  This  Kuno,  you  must  know,  sir,  is 
one  of  the  hunt  servants,  and  a  most  ignorant,  intem- 
perate man :  a  right  Grunewalder,  as  we  say  in  Gerol- 
stein.  We  know  him  well,  in  this  house;  for  he  has 
come  as  far  as  here  after  his  stray  dogs ;  and  I  make  all 
welcome,  sir,  without  account  of  state  or  nation.  And, 
indeed,  between  Gerolstein  and  Grunewald  the  peace 
has  held  so  long  that  the  roads  stand  open  like  my 
door;  and  a  man  will  make  no  more  of  the  frontier 
than  the  very  birds  themselves." 

**Ay,"  said  Otto,  **  it  has  been  a  long  peace  —  a  peace 
of  centuries." 

"  Centuries,  as  you  say,"  returned  Killian :  "the  more 
the  pity  that  it  should  not  be  for  ever.  Well,  sir,  this 
Kuno  was  one  day  in  fault,  and  Otto,  who  has  a  quick' 
temper,  up  with  his  whip  and  thrashed  him,  they  do 
say,  soundly.     Kuno  took  it  as  best  he  could,  but  at 


PRINCE  OTTO 

last  he  broke  out,  and  dared  the  Prince  to  throw  his 
whip  away  and  wrestle  like  a  man ;  for  we  are  all  great 
at  wrestling  in  these  parts,  and  it's  so  that  we  generally 
settle  our  disputes.  Well,  sir,  the  Prince  did  so ;  and 
being  a  weakly  creature,  found  the  tables  turned ;  for 
the  man  whom  he  had  just  been  thrashing  like  a  negro 
slave,  lifted  him  with  a  back  grip  and  threw  him  heels 
over  head." 

**He  broke  his  bridle-arm,"  cried  Fritz — "and  some 
say  his  nose.  Serve  him  right,  say  I !  Man  to  man, 
which  is  the  better  at  that  ?  " 

"And  then .?"  asked  Otto. 

"O,  then,  Kuno  carried  him  home;  and  they  were 
the  best  of  friends  from  that  day  forth.  I  don't  say  it's 
a  discreditable  story,  you  observe,"  continued  Mr.  Got- 
tesheim;  "but  it's  droll,  and  that's  the  fact.  A  man 
should  think  before  he  strikes ;  for,  as  my  nephew  says, 
man  to  man  was  the  old  valuation." 

"Now,  if  you  were  to  ask  me,"  said  Otto,  "  I  should 
perhaps  surprise  you.  I  think  it  was  the  Prince  that 
conquered." 

"And,  sir,  you  would  be  right,"  replied  Killian,  seri- 
ously. "  In  the  eyes  of  God,  I  do  not  question  but  you 
would  be  right;  but  men,  sir,  look  at  these  things  differ- 
ently, and  they  laugh." 

"They  made  a  song  of  it,"  observed  Fritz.  "How 
does  it  go?    Ta-tum-ta-ra  .  .  .  ." 

"Well,"  interrupted  Otto,  who  had  no  great  anxiety 
to  hear  the  song,  "the  Prince  is  young;  he  may  yet 
mend." 

' '  Not  so  young,  by  your  leave, "  cried  Fritz.  '  *A  man 
of  forty." 


IN  WHICH  THE  PRINCE  PLAYS   HAROUN-AL-RASCHID 

*' Thirty-six,"  corrected  Mr.  Gottesheim. 

"O,"  cried  Ottilia,  in  obvious  disillusion,  "a.  man  of 
middle  age!  And  they  said  he  was  so  handsome  when 
he  was  young!" 

**And  bald,  too,"  added  Fritz. 

Otto  passed  his  hand  among  his  locks.  At  that  mo- 
ment he  was  far  from  happy,  and  even  the  tedious  even- 
ings at  Mittwalden  Palace  began  to  smile  upon  him  by 
comparison. 

*'0,  six-and-thirty ! "  he  protested.  **A  man  is  not 
yet  old  at  six-and-thirty.     I  am  that  age  myself." 

"I  should  have  taken  you  for  more,  sir,"  piped  the 
old  farmer.  "  But  if  that  be  so,  you  are  of  an  age  with 
Master  Ottekin,  as  people  call  him  ;  and,  I  would 
wager  a  crown,  have  done  more  service  in  your  time. 
Though  it  seems  young  by  comparison  with  men  of  a 
great  age  like  me,  yet  it's  some  way  through  life  for  all 
that;  and  the  mere  fools  and  fiddlers  are  beginning  to 
grow  weary  and  to  look  old.  Yes,  sir,  by  six-and-thirty, 
if  a  man  be  a  follower  of  God's  laws,  he  should  have 
made  himself  a  home  and  a  good  name  to  live  by ;  he 
should  have  got  a  wife  and  a  blessing  on  his  marriage; 
and  his  works,  as  the  Word  says,  should  begin  to  fol- 
low him." 

'*  Ah,  well,  the  Prince  is  married,"  cried  Fritz,  with  a 
coarse  burst  of  laughter. 

*'That  seems  to  entertain  you,  sir,"  said  Otto. 

*' Ay, "said  the  young  boor.  *'Did  you  not  know 
that  ?  I  thought  all  Europe  knew  it ! "  And  he  added  a 
pantomime  of  a  nature  to  explain  his  accusation  to  the 
dullest. 

*'  Ah,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Gottesheim,  ''  it  is  very  plain  that 
13 


PRINCE   OTTO 

you  are  not  from  hereabouts !  But  the  truth  is,  that  the 
whole  princely  family  and  Court  are  rips  and  rascals,  not 
one  to  mend  another.  They  live,  sir,  in  idleness  and — 
what  most  commonly  follows  it  —  corruption.  The 
Princess  has  a  lover;  a  Baron,  as  he  calls  himself,  from 
East  Prussia;  and  the  Prince  is  so  little  of  a  man,  sir, 
that  he  holds  the  candle.  Nor  is  that  the  worst  of  it,  for 
this  foreigner  and  his  paramour  are  suffered  to  transact 
the  State  affairs,  while  the  Prince  takes  the  salary  and 
leaves  all  things  to  go  to  wrack.  There  will  follow  upon 
this  some  manifest  judgment  which,  though  I  am  old,  I 
may  survive  to  see." 

"Good  man,  you  are  in  the  wrong  about  Gondre- 
mark,"  said  Fritz,  showing  a  greatly  increased  anima- 
tion; *'but  for  all  the  rest,  you  speak  the  God's  truth 
like  a  good  patriot.  As  for  the  Prince,  if  he  would  take 
and  strangle  his  wife,  I  would  forgive  him  yet." 

''Nay,  Fritz,"  said  the  old  man,  "that  would  be  to 
add  iniquity  to  evil.  For  you  perceive,  sir,"  he  contin- 
ued, once  more  addressing  himself  to  the  unfortunate 
Prince,  "this  Otto  has  himself  to  thank  for  these  dis- 
orders. He  has  his  young  wife  and  his  principality,  and 
he  has  sworn  to  cherish  both." 

"Sworn  at  the  altar!  "  echoed  Fritz.  "  But  put  your 
faith  in  princes!" 

"  Well,  sir,  he  leaves  them  both  to  an  adventurer  from 
East  Prussia,"  pursued  the  farmer;  "leaves  the  girl  to 
be  seduced  and  to  go  on  from  bad  to  worse,  till  her 
name's  become  a  taproom  by-word,  and  she  not  yet 
twenty ;  leaves  the  country  to  be  overtaxed,  and  bullied 
with  armaments,  and  jockied  into  war " 

"War!"  cried  Otto. 

14 


IN   WHICH   THE  PRINCE  PLAYS   HAROUN-AL-RASCHID 

"So  they  say,  sir;  those  that  watch  their  ongoings, 
say  to  war,"  asseverated  Killian.  ''Well,  sir,  that  is 
very  sad ;  it  is  a  sad  thing  for  this  poor,  wicked  girl  to 
go  down  to  hell  with  people's  curses;  it's  a  sad  thing 
for  a  tight  little  happy  country  to  be  misconducted;  but 
whoever  may  complain,  I  humbly  conceive,  sir,  that 
this  Otto  cannot.  What  he  has  worked  for,  that  he  has 
got ;  and  may  God  have  pity  on  his  soul,  for  a  great  and 
a  silly  sinner's!" 

'*  He  has  broke  his  oath;  then  he  is  a  perjurer.  He 
takes  the  money  and  leaves  the  work;  why,  then 
plainly  he's  a  thief  A  cuckold  he  was  before,  and  a 
fool  by  birth.  Better  me  that !  "  cried  Fritz,  and  snapped 
his  fingers. 

''And  now,  sir,  you  will  see  a  little,"  continued  the 
farmer,  "why  we  think  so  poorly  of  this  Prince  Otto. 
There's  such  a  thing  as  a  man  being  pious  and  honest 
in  the  private  way ;  and  there  is  such  a  thing,  sir,  as  a 
public  virtue;  but  when  a  man  has  neither,  the  Lord 
lighten  him!  Even  this  Gondremark,  that  Fritz  here 
thinks  so  much  of " 

"Ay,"  interrupted  Fritz,  '  Gondremark's  the  man  for 
me.     I  would  we  had  his  like  in  Gerolstein." 

"  He  is  a  bad  man,"  said  the  old  farmer,  shaking  his 
head ;  "and  there  was  never  good  begun  by  the  breach 
of  God's  commandments.  But  so  far  I  will  go  with  you : 
he  is  a  man  that  works  for  what  he  has." 

"I  tell  you  he's  the  hope  of  Grunewald,"  cried  Fritz. 
"He  doesn't  suit  some  of  your  high-and-dry,  old,  an- 
cient ideas;  but  he's  a  downright  modern  man  —  a  man 
of  the  new  lights  and  the  progress  of  the  age.  He  does 
somethings  wrong;  so  they  all  do;  but  he  has  thepeo- 

15 


PRINCE  OTTO 

pie's  interests  next  his  heart;  and  you  mark  me  —  you, 
sir,  who  are  a  Liberal,  and  the  enemy  of  all  their  gov- 
ernments, you  please  to  mark  my  words  —  the  day  will 
come  in  Grunewald,  when  they  take  out  that  yellow- 
headed  skulk  of  a  Prince  and  that  dough-faced  Messalina 
of  a  Princess,  march  'em  back  foremost  over  the  borders, 
and  proclaim  the  Baron  Gondremark  first  President. 
I've  heard  them  say  it  in  a  speech.  I  was  at  a  meet- 
ing once  at  Brandenau,  and  the  Mittwalden  delegates 
spoke  up  for  fifteen  thousand.  Fifteen  thousand,  all 
brigaded,  and  each  man  with  a  medal  round  his  neck 
to  rally  by.     Thaf  s  all  Gondremark. " 

**  Ay,  sir,  you  see  what  it  leads  to:  wild  talk  to-day, 
and  wilder  doings  to-morrow,"  said  the  old  man.  ''  For 
there  is  one  thing  certain:  that  this  Gondremark  has 
one  foot  in  the  Court  backstairs,  and  the  other  in  the 
Masons'  lodges.  He  gives  himself  out,  sir,  for  what 
nowadays  they  call  a  patriot :  a  man  from  East  Prussia ! " 

"Give  himself  out!"  cried  Fritz.  "He  is!  He  is 
to  lay  by  his  title  as  soon  as  the  Republic  is  declared ;  I 
heard  it  in  a  speech." 

"  Lay  by  Baron  to  take  up  President  ?"  returned  Kil- 
lian.  "King  Log,  King  Stork.  But  you'll  live  longer 
than  I,  and  you  will  see  the  fruits  of  it." 

"Father,"  whispered  Ottilia,  pulling  at  the  speaker's 
coat,  "surely  the  gentleman  is  ill." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  cried  the  farmer,  re  waking  to 
hospitable  thoughts;  "can  I  offer  you  anything?" 

"  I  thank  you.  I  am  very  weary,"  answered  Otto. 
"  I  have  presumed  upon  my  strength.  If  you  would 
show  me  to  a  bed,  I  should  be  grateful." 

'  *  Ottilia,  a  candle ! "  said  the  old  man.     "  Indeed,  sir, 

i6 


IN   WHICH   THE  PRINCE  PLAYS  HAROUN-AL-RASCHID 

you  look  paley.  A  little  cordial  water  ?  No  ?  Then 
follow  me,  I  beseech  you,  and  I  will  bring  you  to  the 
stranger's  bed.  You  are  not  the  first  by  many  who  has 
slept  well  below  my  roof,"  continued  the  old  gentle- 
man, mounting  the  stairs  before  his  guest;  **  for  good 
food,  honest  wine,  a  grateful  conscience,  and  a  little 
pleasant  chat  before  a  man  retires,  are  worth  all  the 
possets  and  apothecary's  drugs.  See,  sir,"  and  here  he 
opened  a  door  and  ushered  Otto  into  a  little  whitewashed 
sleeping-room,  "here  you  are  in  port.  It  is  small,  but 
it  is  airy,  and  the  sheets  are  clean  and  kept  in  lavender. 
The  window,  too,  looks  out  above  the  river,  and  there's 
no  music  like  a  little  river's.  It  plays  the  same  tune 
(and  that's  the  favourite)  over  and  over  again,  and  yet 
does  not  weary  of  it  like  men  fiddlers.  It  takes  the 
mind  out  of  doors ;  and  though  we  should  be  grateful 
for  good  houses,  there  is,  after  all,  no  house  like  God's 
out-of-doors.  And  lastly,  sir,  it  quiets  a  man  down 
like  saying  his  prayers.  So  here,  sir,  I  take  my  kind 
leave  of  you  until  to-morrow ;  and  it  is  my  prayerful 
wish  that  you  may  slumber  like  a  prince." 

And  the  old  man,  with  the  twentieth  courteous  in- 
clination, left  his  guest  alone. 


n 


CHAPTER  III 

IN  WHICH  THE  PRINCE  COMFORTS  AGE  AND  BEAUTY  AND  DE- 
LIVERS  A   LECTURE   ON    DISCRETION   IN    LOVE. 

The  Prince  was  early  abroad :  in  the  time  of  the  first 
chorus  of  birds,  of  the  pure  and  quiet  air,  of  the  slant- 
ing sunlight  and  the  mile-long  shadows.  To  one  who 
had  passed  a  miserable  night,  the  freshness  of  that  hour 
was  tonic  and  reviving;  to  steal  a  march  upon  his  slum- 
bering fellows,  to  be  the  Adam  of  the  coming  day,  com- 
posed and  fortified  his  spirits;  and  the  Prince,  breathing 
deep  and  pausing  as  he  went,  walked  in  the  wet  fields 
beside  his  shadow,  and  was  glad. 

A  trellised  path  led  down  into  the  valley  of  the  brook, 
and  he  turned  to  follow  it.  The  stream  was  a  break- 
neck, boiling  Highland  river.  Hard  by  the  farm,  it  leaped 
a  little  precipice  in  a  thick  grey-mare's  tail  of  twisted 
filaments,  and  then  lay  and  worked  and  bubbled  in  a 
lynn.  Into  the  middle  of  this  quaking  pool  a  rock  pro- 
truded, shelving  to  a  cape;  and  thither  Otto  scrambled 
and  sat  down  to  ponder. 

Soon  the  sun  struck  through  the  screen  of  branches 
and  thin  early  leaves  that  made  a  hanging  bower  above 
the  fall;  and  the  golden  lights  and  flitting  shadows  fell 
upon  and  marbled  the  surface  of  that  seething  pot;  and 
rays  plunged  deep  among  the  turning  waters;  and  a 
spark,  as  bright  as  a  diamond,  lit  upon  the  swaying 


IN   WHICH   THE   PRINCE  COMFORTS  AGE  AND   BEAUTY 

eddy.  It  began  to  grow  warm  where  Otto  lingered, 
warm  and  heady;  the  lights  swam,  weaving  their  maze 
across  the  shaken  pool;  on  the- impending  rock,  reflec- 
tions danced  like  butterflies ;  and  the  air  was  fanned  by 
the  waterfall  as  by  a  swinging  curtain. 

Otto,  who  was  weary  with  tossing  and  beset  with 
horrid  phantoms  of  remorse  and  jealousy,  instantly  fell 
dead  in  love  with  that  sun-chequered,  echoing  corner. 
Holding  his  feet,  he  stared  out  of  a  drowsy  trance,  won- 
dering, admiring,  musing,  losing  his  way  among  uncer- 
tain thoughts.  There  is  nothing  that  so  apes  the  external 
bearing  of  free  will,  as  that  unconscious  bustle,  obscurely 
following  liquid  laws,  with  which  a  river  contends 
among  obstructions.  It  seems  the  very  play  of  man 
and  destiny,and  as  Otto  pored  on  these  recurrentchanges, 
he  grew,  by  equal  steps,  the  sleepier  and  the  more  pro- 
found. Eddy  and  Prince  were  alike  jostled  in  their  pur- 
pose, alike  anchored  by  intangible  influences  in  one 
corner  of  the  world.  Eddy  and  Prince  were  alike  use- 
less, starkly  useless,  in  the  cosmology  of  men.  Eddy 
and  Prince  —  Prince  and  Eddy. 

It  is  probable  he  had  been  some  while  asleep  when  a 
voice  recalled  him  from  oblivion.  ''Sir,"  it  was  saying; 
and  looking  round,  he  saw  Mr.  Killian's  daughter,  ter- 
rified by  her  boldness  and  making  bashful  signals  from 
the  shore.  She  was  a  plain,  honest  lass,  healthy  and 
happy  and  good,  and  with  that  sort  of  beauty  that  comes 
of  happiness  and  health.  But  her  confusion  lent  her 
for  the  moment  an  additional  charm. 

"Good  morning,"  said  Otto,  rising  and  moving 
towards  her.     "I  arose  early  and  was  in  a  dream." 

"O,  sir! "  she  cried,  "  I  wish  to  beg  of  you  to  spare 
19 


PRINCE  OTTO 

my  father;  for  I  assure  your  Highness,  if  he  had  known 
who  you  was,  he  would  have  bitten  his  tongue  out 
sooner.  And  Fritz,  too  —  how  he  went  on!  But  I  had 
a  notion;  and  this  morning  I  went  straight  down  into 
the  stable,  and  there  was  your  Highness's  crown  upon 
the  stirrup-irons !  But,  oh,  sir,  I  made  certain  you  would 
spare  them;  for  they  were  as  innocent  as  lambs." 

"My  dear,"  said  Otto,  both  amused  and  gratified, 
''you  do  not  understand.  It  is  I  who  am  in  the  wrong; 
for  1  had  no  business  to  conceal  my  name  and  lead  on 
these  gentlemen  to  speak  of  me.  And  it  is  I  who  have 
to  beg  of  you,  that  you  will  keep  my  secret  and  not  be- 
tray the  discourtesy  of  which  I  was  guilty.  As  for  any 
fear  of  me,  your  friends  are  safe  in  Gerolstein ;  and  even 
in  my  own  territory,  you  must  be  well  aware  I  have  no 
power." 

**0h,  sir,"  she  said,  curtsying,  "I  would  not  say 
that:  the  huntsmen  would  all  die  for  you." 

' '  Happy  Prince !  "  said  Otto.  *  *  But  although  you  are 
too  courteous  to  avow  the  knowledge,  you  have  had 
many  opportunities  of  learning  that  I  am  a  vain  show. 
Only  last  night  we  heard  it  very  clearly  stated.  You  see 
the  shadow  flitting  on  this  hard  rock.  Prince  Otto,  I 
am  afraid,  is  but  the  moving  shadow,  and  the  name  of 
the  rock  is  Gondremark.  Ah!  if  your  friends  had  fallen 
foul  of  Gondremark!  But  happily  the  younger  of  the 
two  admires  him.  And  as  for  the  old  gentleman  your 
father,  he  is  a  wise  man  and  an  excellent  talker,  and  I 
would  take  a  long  wager  he  is  honest." 

'  *  O,  for  honest,  your  Highness,  that  he  is ! "  exclaimed 
the  girl.  * 'And  Fritz  is  as  honest  as  he.  And  as  for  all 
they  said,  it  was  just  talk  and  nonsense.     When  coun- 

20 


IN  WHICH   THE  PRINCE  COMFORTS  AGE  AND   BEAUTY 

tryfolk  get  gossiping,  they  go  on,  I  do  assure  you,  for 
the  fun ;  they  don't  as  much  as  think  of  what  they  say. 
If  you  went  to  the  next  farm,  it's  my  belief  you  would 
hear  as  much  against  my  father." 

"Nay,  nay,"  said  Otto,  "there  you  go  too  fast.  For 
all  that  was  said  against  Prince  Otto " 

" O,  it  was  shameful!  "  cried  the  girl. 

"Not  shameful  —  true,"  returned  Otto.  "Oh,  yes 
—  true.    I  am  all  they  said  of  me  —  all  that  and  worse. " 

"I  never!"  cried  Ottilia.  "Is  that  how  you  do? 
Well,  you  would  never  be  a  soldier.  Now  if  any  one 
accuses  me,  I  get  up  and  give  it  them.  O,  I  defend  my- 
self. I  wouldn't  take  a  fault  at  another  person's  hands, 
no,  not  if  I  had  it  on  my  forehead.  And  that's  what 
you  must  do,  if  you  mean  to  live  it  out.  But,  indeed, 
I  never  heard  such  nonsense.  I  should  think  you  was 
ashamed  of  yourself !    You're  bald  then,  I  suppose?" 

" O  no,"  said  Otto,  fairly  laughing.  "There  I  acquit 
myself:  not  bald!" 

"  Well,  and  good  ?  "  pursued  the  girl.  "  Come  now, 
you  know  you  are  good,  and  I'll  make  you  say  so.  .  .  . 
Your  Highness,  I  beg  your  humble  pardon.  But  there's 
no  disrespect  intended.  And  anyhow,  you  know  you 
are." 

"Why,  now,  what  am  I  to  say?"  replied  Otto. 
"  You  are  a  cook,  and  excellently  well  you  do  it;  I  em- 
brace the  chance  of  thanking  you  for  the  ragout.  Well 
now,  have  you  not  seen  good  food  so  bedevilled  by  un- 
skilful cookery  that  no  one  could  be  brought  to  eat  the 
pudding  ?  That  is  me,  my  dear.  I  am  full  of  good  in- 
gredients, but  the  dish  is  worthless.  I  am  —  I  give  it 
you  in  one  word  —  sugar  in  the  salad." 


PRINCE  OTTO 

*'Well,  I  don't  care,  you're  good,"  reiterated  Ottilia, 
a  little  flushed  by  having  failed  to  understand. 

'*  I  will  tell  you  one  thing,"  replied  Otto  :  "  You  are!" 

''Ah,  well,  that's  what  they  all  said  of  you,"  moral- 
ised the  girl:  "such  a  tongue  to  come  rounds  such  a 
flattering  tongue!" 

''O,  you  forget,  I  am  a  man  of  middle  age,"  the  Prince 
chuckled. 

**Well,  to  speak  to  you,  I  should  think  you  was  a 
boy;  and  Prince  or  no  Prince,  if  you  came  worrying 
where  I  was  cooking,  I  would  pin  a  napkin  to  your 
tails.  .  .  .  And,  O  Lord,  I  declare  I  hope  your  Highness 
will  forgive  me,"  the  girl  added.  "I  can't  keep  it  in 
my  mind." 

''No  more  can  I,"  cried  Otto.  "That  is  just  what 
they  complain  of ! " 

They  made  a  loverly-looking  couple ;  only  the  heavy 
pouring  of  that  horse-tail  of  water  made  them  raise 
their  voices  above  lovers'  pitch.  But  to  a  jealous  on- 
looker from  above,  their  mirth  and  close  proximity 
might  easily  give  umbrage ;  and  a  rough  voice  out  of  a 
tuft  of  brambles  began  calling  on  Ottilia  by  name.  She 
changed  colour  at  that.  "It  is  Fritz,"  she  said.  "I 
must  go." 

"Go,  my  dear,  and  I  need  not  bid  you  go  in  peace, 
for  I  think  you  have  discovered  that  I  am  not  formidable 
at  close  quarters, "  said  the  Prince,  and  made  her  a  fine 
gesture  of  dismissal. 

So  Ottilia  skipped  up  the  bank,  and  disappeared  into 
the  thicket,  stopping  once  for  a  single  blushing  bob  — • 
blushing,  because  she  had  in  the  interval  once  more  for- 
gotten and  remembered  the  stranger's  quality. 


IN  WHICH   THE   PRINCE  COMFORTS  AGE  AND   BEAUTY 

Otto  returned  to  his  rock  promontory;  but  his  hu- 
mour had  in  the  meantime  changed.  The  sun  now 
shone  more  fairly  on  the  pool;  and  over  its  brown, 
welling  surface,  the  blue  of  heaven  and  the  golden 
green  of  the  spring  foliage  danced  in  fleeting  arabesque. 
The  eddies  laughed  and  brightened  with  essential  col- 
our. And  the  beauty  of  the  dell  began  to  rankle  in  the 
Prince's  mind ;  it  was  so  near  to  his  own  borders,  yet 
without.  He  had  never  had  much  of  the  joy  of  pos- 
sessorship  in  any  of  the  thousand  and  one  beautiful  and 
curious  things  that  were  his ;  and  now  he  was  conscious 
of  envy  for  what  was  another's.  It  was,  indeed,  a 
smiling,  dilettante  sort  of  envy;  but  yet  there  it  was: 
the  passion  of  Ahab  for  the  vineyard,  done  in  little ;  and 
he  was  relieved  when  Mr.  Killian  appeared  upon  the 
scene. 

"  I  hope,  sir,  that  you  have  slept  well  under  my  plain 
roof,"  said  the  old  farmer. 

"  I  am  admiring  this  sweet  spot  that  you  are  privi- 
leged to  dwell  in,"  replied  Otto,  evading  the  inquiry. 

**  It  is  rustic,"  returned  Mr.  Gottesheim,  looking 
around  him  with  complacency,  "a.  very  rustic  corner; 
and  some  of  the  land  to  the  west  is  most  excellent  fat 
land,  excellent  deep  soil.  You  should  see  my  wheat  in 
the  ten-acre  field.  There  is  not  a  farm  in  GrQnewald, 
no,  nor  many  in  Gerolstein,  to  match  the  River  Farm. 
Some  sixty  —  I  keep  thinking  when  I  sow  —  some  sixty, 
and  some  seventy,  and  some  an  hundredfold;  and  my 
own  place,  six  score !  But  that,  sir,  is  partly  the  farm- 
ing." 

"  And  the  stream  has  fish  ?  "  asked  Otto. 

*'  A  fish-pond,"  said  the  farmer.     **  Ay,  it  is  a  pleas- 
23 


PRINCE  OTTO 

ant  bit.  It  is  pleasant  even  here,  if  one  had  time,  with 
the  brook  drumming  in  that  black  pool,  and  the  green 
things  hanging  all  about  the  rocks,  and,  dear  heart,  to 
see  the  very  pebbles!  all  turned  to  gold  and  precious 
stones !  But  you  have  come  to  that  time  of  life,  sir, 
when,  if  you  will  excuse  me,  you  must  look  to  have 
the  rheumatism  set  in.  Thirty  to  forty  is,  as  one  may 
say,  their  seedtime.  And  this  is  a  damp  cold  corner  for 
the  early  morning  and  an  empty  stomach.  If  I  might 
humbly  advise  you,  sir,  I  would  be  moving." 

** With  all  my  heart,"  said  Otto,  gravely.  "And  so 
you  have  lived  your  life  here  ?  "  he  added,  as  they  turned 
to  go. 

''Here  I  was  born,"  replied  the  farmer,  "and  here  I 
wish  I  could  say  I  was  to  die.  But  fortune,  sir,  fortune 
turns  the  wheel.  They  say  she  is  blind,  but  we  will 
hope  she  only  sees  a  little  farther  on.  My  grandfather 
and  my  father  and  I,  we  have  all  tilled  these  acres,  my 
furrow  following  theirs.  All  the  three  names  are  on 
the  garden  bench,  two  Killians  and  one  Johann.  Yes, 
sir,  good  men  have  prepared  themselves  for  the  great 
change  in  my  old  garden.  Well  do  1  mind  my  father, 
in  a  woolen  night-cap,  the  good  soul,  going  round  and 
round  to  see  the  last  of  it.  *Killian,'  said  he,  'do 
you  see  the  smoke  of  my  tobacco.?  Why,'  said  he, 
'that  is  man's  life.'  It  was  his  last  pipe,  and  I  believe 
he  knew  it;  and  it  was  a  strange  thing,  without  doubt, 
to  leave  the  trees  that  he  had  planted,  and  the  son  that 
he  had  begotten,  ay,  sir,  and  even  the  old  pipe  with  the 
Turk's  head  that  he  had  smoked  since  he  was  a  lad  and 
went  a-courting.  But  here  we  have  no  continuing  city ; 
and  as  for  the  eternal,  it's  a  comfortable  thought  that 

24 


IN   WHICH   THE  PRINCE  COMFORTS  AGE  AND   BEAUTY 

we  have  other  merits  than  our  own.  And  yet  you 
would  hardly  think  how  sore  it  goes  against  the  grain 
with  me,  to  die  in  a  strange  bed." 

*'And  must  you  do  so.^  For  what  reason?  "Otto 
asked. 

"The  reason  ?  The  place  is  to  be  sold;  three  thou- 
sand crowns,"  replied  Mr.  Gottesheim.  '*Had  it  been 
a  third  of  that,  I  may  say  without  boasting  that,  what 
with  my  credit  and  my  savings,  I  could  have  met  the 
sum.  But  at  three  thousand,  unless  I  have  singular 
good  fortune  and  the  new  proprietor  continues  me  in 
office,  there  is  nothing  left  me  but  to  budge." 

Otto's  fancy  for  the  place  redoubled  at  the  news,  and 
became  joined  with  other  feelings.  If  all  he  heard  were 
true,  Grunewald  was  growing  very  hot  for  a  sovereign 
Prince ;  it  might  be  well  to  have  a  refuge ;  and  if  so, 
what  more  delightful  hermitage  could  man  imagine  ? 
Mr.  Gottesheim,  besides,  had  touched  his  sympathies. 
Every  man  loves  in  his  soul  to  play  the  part  of  the  stage 
deity.  And  to  step  down  to  the  aid  of  the  old  farmer, 
who  had  so  roughly  handled  him  in  talk,  was  the  ideai 
of  a  Fair  Revenge.  Otto's  thoughts  brightened  at  the 
prospect,  and  he  began  to  regard  himself  with  a  re- 
newed respect. 

*'I  can  find  you,  I  believe,  a  purchaser,"  he  said, 
"  and  one  who  would  continue  to  avail  himself  of  your 
skill." 

**  Can  you,  sir,  indeed  ?"  said  the  old  man.  ''Well, 
I  shall  be  heartily  obliged ;  for  I  begin  to  find  a  man 
may  practise  resignation  all  his  days,  as  he  takes  physic, 
and  not  come  to  like  it  in  the  end." 

"  If  you  will  have  the  papers  drawn,  you  may  even 
35 


PRINCE   OTTO 

burthen  the  purchase  with  your  interest,"  said  Otto. 
*'  Let  it  be  assured  to  you  through  life." 

"Your  friend,  sir,"  insinuated  Killian,  ** would  not, 
perhaps,  care  to  make  the  interest  reversible  ?  Fritz  is  a 
good  lad." 

"Fritz  is  young,"  said  the  Prince,  drily;  "he  must 
earn  consideration,  not  inherit." 

"He  has  long  worked  upon  the  place,  sir,"  insisted 
Mr.  Gottesheim ;  "  and  at  my  great  age,  for  I  am  seventy- 
eight  come  harvest,  it  would  be  a  troublesome  thought 
to  the  proprietor  how  to  fill  my  shoes.  It  would  be  a 
care  spared  to  assure  yourself  of  Fritz.  And  I  believe 
he  might  be  tempted  by  a  permanency." 

"The  young  man  has  Unsettled  views,"  returned  Otto. 

"Possibly  the  purchaser "  began  Killian. 

A  little  spot  of  anger  burned  in  Otto's  cheek.  "  I  am 
the  purchaser,"  he  said. 

"It  was  what  I  might  have  guessed,"  replied  the 
farmer,  bowing  with  an  aged,  obsequious  dignity. 
"You  have  made  an  old  man  very  happy;  and  I  may 
say,  indeed,  that  I  have  entertained  an  angel  unawares. 
Sir,  the  great  people  of  this  world  —  and  by  that  I 
mean  those  who  are  great  in  station  — if  they  had  only 
hearts  like  yours,  how  they  would  make  the  fires  burn 
and  the  poor  sing!" 

"I  would  not  judge  them  hardly,  sir,"  said  Otto. 
"We  all  have  our  frailties." 

"Truly,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Gottesheim,  with  unction. 
"And  by  what  name,  sir,  am  I  to  address  my  generous 
landlord.^" 

The  double  recollection  of  an  English  traveller,  whom 
he  had  received  the  week  before  at  court,  and  of  an  old 

26 


IN   WHICH   THE   PRINCE   COMFORTS  AGE   AND   BEAUTY 

English  rogue  called  Transome,  whom  he  had  known 
in  youth,  came  pertinently  to  the  Prince's  help.  "Tran- 
some," he  answered,  "is  my  name.  I  am  an  English 
traveller.  It  is,  to-day,  Tuesday.  On  Thursday,  before 
noon,  the  money  shall  be  ready.  Let  us  meet,  if  you 
please,  in  Mittwalden,  at  the  'Morning  Star.'  " 

"I  am,  in  all  things  lawful,  your  servant  to  com- 
mand," replied  the  farmer.  "An  Englishman!  You 
are  a  great  race  of  travellers.  And  has  your  lordship 
some  experience  of  land  ?" 

"I  have  had  some  interest  of  the  kind  before,"  re- 
turned the  Prince;  "not  in  Gerolstein,  indeed.  But 
fortune,  as  you  say,  turns  the  wheel,  and  I  desire  to  be 
beforehand  with  her  revolutions." 

"  Very  right,  sir,  I  am  sure,"  said  Mr.  Killian. 

They  had  been  strolling  with  deliberation ;  but  they 
were  now  drawing  near  to  the  farmhouse,  mounting 
by  the  trellised  pathway  to  the  level  of  the  meadow. 
A  little  before  them,  the  sound  of  voices  had  been  some 
while  audible,  and  now  grew  louder  and  more  distinct 
with  every  step  of  their  advance.  Presently,  when  they 
emerged  upon  the  top  of  the  bank,  they  beheld  Fritz  and 
Ottilia  some  way  off;  he,  very  black  and  bloodshot, 
emphasising  his  hoarse  speech  with  the  smacking  of 
his  fist  against  his  palm ;  she,  standing  a  little  way  off 
in  blowsy,  voluble  distress. 

"Dear  me!  "  said  Mr.  Gottesheim,  and  made  as  if  he 
would  turn  aside. 

But  Otto  went  straight  towards  the  lovers,  in  whose 
dissension  he  believed  himself  to  have  a  share.  And, 
indeed,  as  soon  as  he  had  seen  the  Prince,  Fritz  had 
stood  tragic,  as  if  awaiting  and  defying  his  approach. 

27 


PRINCE  OTTO 

"O,  here  you  are!  "  he  cried,  as  soon  as  they  were 
near  enough  for  easy  speech.  "  You  are  a  man  at  least, 
and  must  reply.  What  were  you  after  ?  Why  were 
you  two  skulking  in  the  bush  ?  God!  "  he  broke  out, 
turning  again  upon  Ottilia,  "to  think  that  I  should 
waste  my  heart  on  you ! " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  Otto  cut  in.  **  You  were  ad- 
dressing me.  In  virtue  of  what  circumstance  am  I  to 
render  you  an  account  of  this  young  lady's  conduct  ? 
Are  you  her  father  ?  her  brother.^  her  husband  ?" 

*'0,  sir,  you  know  as  well  as  I,"  returned  the  peas- 
ant. *' We  keep  company,  she  and  I.  I  love  her,  and 
she  is  by  way  of  loving  me;  but  all  shall  be  above- 
board,  I  would  have  her  to  know.  I  have  a  good  pride 
of  my  own." 

*' Why,  I  perceive  I  must  explain  to  you  what  love 
is,"  said  Otto.  *Mts  measure  is  kindness.  It  is  very 
possible  that  you  are  proud;  but  she,  too,  may  have 
some  self-esteem ;  I  do  not  speak  for  myself  And  per- 
haps, if  your  own  doings  were  so  curiously  examined, 
you  might  find  it  inconvenient  to  reply." 

"  These  are  all  set-offs,"  said  the  young  man.  *' You 
know  very  well  that  a  man  is  a  man,  and  a  woman 
only  a  woman.  That  holds  good  all  over,  up  and  down. 
I  ask  you  a  question,  I  ask  it  again,  and  here  I  stand." 
He  drew  a  mark  and  toed  it. 

"When  you  have  studied  liberal  doctrines  somewhat 
deeper,"  said  the  Prince,  "you  will  perhaps  change 
your  note.  You  are  a  man  of  false  weights  and  meas- 
ures, my  young  friend.  You  have  one  scale  for  women, 
another  for  men ;  one  for  princes,  and  one  for  farmer- 
folk.     On  the  prince  who  neglects  his  wife  you  can  be 

28 


IN  WHICH   THE  PRINCE  COMFORTS   AGE  AND   BEAUTY 

most  severe.  But  what  of  the  lover  who  insults  his 
mistress  ?  You  use  the  name  of  love.  I  should  think 
this  lady  might  very  fairly  ask  to  be  delivered  from  love 
of  such  a  nature.  For  if  I,  a  stranger,  had  been  one- 
tenth  part  so  gross  and  so  discourteous,  you  would  most 
righteously  have  broke  my  head.  It  would  have  been 
in  your  part,  as  lover,  to  protect  her  from  such  insolence. 
Protect  her  first,  then,  from  yourself" 

*'  Ay,"  quoth  Mr.  Gottesheim,  who  had  been  looking 
on  with  his  hands  behind  his  tall  old  back,  **ay,  that's 
scripture  truth." 

Fritz  was  staggered,  not  only  by  the  Prince's  imper- 
turbable superiority  of  manner,  but  by  a  glimmering 
consciousness  that  he  himself  was  in  the  wrong.  The 
appeal  to  liberal  doctrines  had,  besides,  unmanned  him. 

''Well,"  said  he,  "if  I  was  rude,  I'll  own  to  it.  I 
meant  no  ill,  and  did  nothing  out  of  my  just  rights; 
but  I  am  above  all  these  old  vulgar  notions  too ;  and  if 
I  spoke  sharp,  I'll  ask  her  pardon." 

"Freely  granted,  Fritz,"  said  Ottilia. 

"But  all  this  doesn't  answer  me,  "cried  Fritz.  "I  ask 
what  you  two  spoke  about.  She  says  she  promised 
not  to  tell;  well,  then,  I  mean  to  know.  Civility  is 
civility;  but  I'll  be  no  man's  gull.  I  have  a  right  to 
common  justice,  if  I  do  keep  company!  " 

"If  you  will  ask  Mr.  Gottesheim,"  replied  Otto,  "you 
will  find  I  have  not  spent  my  hours  in  idleness.  I  have, 
since  I  arose  this  morning,  agreed  to  buy  the  farm.  So 
far  I  will  go  to  satisfy  a  curiosity  which  I  condemn." 

"  O,  well,  if  there  was  business,  that's  another  mat- 
ter," returned  Fritz.  "Though  it  beats  me  why  you 
could  not  tell.     But,  of  course,  if  the  gentleman  is  to 

29 


PRINCE  OTTO 

buy  the  farm,  I  suppose  there  would  naturally  be  an 
end." 

**To  be  sure,"  said  Mr.  Gottesheim,  with  a  strong 
accent  of  conviction. 

But  Ottilia  was  much  braver.  "There  now!  "  she 
cried  in  triumph.  "  What  did  I  tell  you  ?  I  told  you  I 
was  fighting  your  battles.  Now  you  see!  Think  shame 
of  your  suspicious  temper!  You  should  go  down  upon 
your  bended  knees  both  to  that  gentleman  and  me." 


90 


CHAPTER  IV 

IN  WHICH  THE  PRINCE  COLLECTS  OPINIONS   BY  THE  WAY 

A  LITTLE  before  noon  Otto,  by  a  triumph  of  manoeu- 
vring, effected  his  escape.  He  was  quit  in  this  way 
of  the  ponderous  gratitude  of  Mr.  Killian,  and  of  the 
confidential  gratitude  of  poor  Ottilia;  but  of  Fritz  he 
was  not  quit  so  readily.  That  young  politician,  brim- 
ming with  mysterious  glances,  offered  to  lend  his  con- 
voy as  far  as  to  the  highroad ;  and  Otto,  in  fear  of  some 
residuary  jealousy  and  for  the  girl's  sake,  had  not  the 
courage  to  gainsay  him ;  but  he  regarded  his  companion 
with  uneasy  glances,  and  devoutly  wished  the  business 
at  an  end.  For  some  time  Fritz  walked  by  the  mare 
in  silence ;  and  they  had  already  traversed  more  than 
half  the  proposed  distance  when,  with  something  of  a 
blush,  he  looked  up  and  opened  fire. 

''Are  you  not,"  he  asked,  "what  they  call  a  social- 
ist ?  " 

"Why,  no,"  returned  Otto,  "  not  precisely  what  they 
call  so.     Why  do  you  ask  ?" 

"  I  will  tell  you  why,"  said  the  young  man.  "  I  saw 
from  the  first  that  you  were  a  red  progressional,  and 
nothing  but  the  fear  of  old  Killian  kept  you  back.  And 
there,  sir,  you  were  right :  old  men  are  always  cowards. 
But  nowadays,  you  see,  there  are  so  many  groups :  you 

31 


PRINCE  OTTO 

can  never  tell  how  far  the  likeliest  kind  of  man  may  be 
prepared  to  go ;  and  I  was  never  sure  you  were  one  of 
the  strong  thinkers,  till  you  hinted  about  women  and 
free  love." 

"Indeed,"  cried  Otto,  ** I  never  said  a  word  of  such 
a  thing." 

**Not  you!"  cried  Fritz.  ''Never  a  word  to  com- 
promise !  You  was  sowing  seed :  groundbait,  our  presi- 
dent calls  it.  But  it's  hard  to  deceive  me,  for  I  know 
all  the  agitators  and  their  ways,  and  all  the  doctrines ; 
and  between  you  and  me,"  lowering  his  voice,  "I  am 
myself  affiliated.  O,  yes,  I  am  a  secret  society  man, 
and  here  is  my  medal."  And  drawing  out  a  green  rib- 
bon that  he  wore  about  his  neck,  he  held  up,  for  Otto's 
inspection,  a  pewter  medal  bearing  the  imprint  of  a 
Phoenix  and  the  legend,  Ubertas.  ''And  so  now  you 
see  you  may  trust  me,"  added  Fritz.  "I  am  none  of 
your  ale-house  talkers ;  I  am  a  convinced  revolutionary. " 
And  he  looked  meltingly  upon  Otto. 

"I  see,"  replied  the  Prince;  "that  is  very  gratifying. 
Well,  sir,  the  great  thing  for  the  good  of  one's  country 
is,  first  of  all,  to  be  a  good  man.  All  springs  from  there. 
For  my  part,  although  you  are  right  in  thinking  that  I 
have  to  do  with  politics,  I  am  unfit  by  intellect  and  tem- 
per for  a  leading  role.  I  was  intended,  1  fear,  for  a  sub- 
altern. Yet  we  have  all  something  to  command,  Mr. 
Fritz,  if  it  be  only  our  own  temper;  and  a  man  about  to 
marry  must  look  closely  to  himself.  The  husband's, 
like  the  prince's,  is  a  very  artificial  standing;  and  it  is 
hard  to  be  kind  in  either.     Do  you  follow  that  ?  " 

"  O,  yes,  I  follow  that,"  replied  the  young  man,  sadly 
chop-fallen  over  the  nature  of  the  information  he  had 

32 


IN  WHICH  THE  PRINCE  COLLECTS  OPINIONS  BY  THE  WAY 

elicited ;  and  then  brightening  up :  *Ms  it,"  he  ventured, 
"  is  it  for  an  arsenal  that  you  have  bought  the  farm  ?  " 

"We'll  see  about  that,"  the  Prince  answered,  laugh- 
ing. ''You  must  not  be  too  zealous.  And  in  the  mean- 
time, if  I  were  you,  I  would  say  nothing  on  the  subject." 

**0,  trust  me,  sir,  for  that,"  cried  Fritz,  as  he  pock- 
eted a  crown.  ''And  you've  let  nothing  out;  for  I 
suspected  —  I  might  say  I  knew  it  —  from  the  first.  And 
mind  you,  when  a  guide  is  required, "  he  added,  ' '  I  know 
all  the  forest  paths." 

Otto  rode  away,  chuckling.  This  talk  with  Fritz  had 
vastly  entertained  him ;  nor  was  he  altogether  discon- 
tented with  his  bearing  at  the  farm ;  men,  he  was  able 
to  tell  himself,  had  behaved  worse  under  smaller  provo- 
cation. And,  to  harmonise  all,  the  road  and  the  April 
air  were  both  delightful  to  his  soul. 

Up  and  down,  and  to  and  fro,  ever  mounting  through 
the  wooded  foothills,  the  broad,  white  highroad  wound 
onward  into  Grunewald.  On  either  hand  the  pines 
stood  coolly  rooted  —  green  moss  prospering,  springs 
welling  forth  between  their  knuckled  spurs;  and  though 
some  were  broad  and  stalwart,  and  others  spiry  and 
slender,  yet  all  stood  firm  in  the  same  attitude  and  with 
the  same  expression,  like  a  silent  army  presenting  arms. 

The  road  lay  all  the  way  apart  from  towns  and  vil- 
lages, which  it  left  on  either  hand.  Here  and  there, 
indeed,  in  the  bottom  of  green  glens,  the  Prince  could 
spy  a  few  congregated  roofs,  or  perhaps  above  him,  on 
a  shoulder,  the  solitary  cabin  of  a  woodman.  But  the 
highway  was  an  international  undertaking,  and  with  its 
face  set  for  distant  cities,  scorned  the  little  life  of  Grune- 
wald.   Hence  it  was  exceeding  solitary.    Near  the  fron- 

33 


PRINCE  OTTO 

tier  Otto  met  a  detachment  of  his  own  troops  march- 
ing in  the  hot  dust;  and  he  was  recognised  and  some- 
what feebly  cheered  as  he  rode  by.  But  from  that  time 
forth  and  for  a  long  while  he  was  alone  with  the  great 
woods. 

Gradually  the  spell  of  pleasure  relaxed;  his  own 
thoughts  returned,  like  stinging  insects,  in  a  cloud;  and 
the  talk  of  the  night  before,  like  a  shower  of  buffets,  fell 
upon  his  memory.  He  looked  east  and  west  for  any 
comforter;  and  presently  he  was  aware  of  a  cross-road 
coming  steeply  down  hill,  and  a  horseman  cautiously 
descending.  A  human  voice  or  presence,  like  a  spring 
in  the  desert,  was  now  welcome  in  itself,  and  Otto  drew 
bridle  to  await  the  coming  of  this  stranger.  He  proved 
to  be  a  very  red-faced,  thick-lipped  countryman,  with  a 
pair  of  fat  saddle-bags  and  a  stone  bottle  at  his  waist ; 
who,  as  soon  as  the  Prince  hailed  him,  jovially,  if  some- 
what thickly,  answered.  At  the  same  time  he  gave  a 
beery  yaw  in  the  saddle.  It  was  clear  his  bottle  was 
no  longer  full. 

' '  Do  you  ride  towards  Mittwalden  ?  "  asked  the  Prince. 

"  As  far  as  the  cross-road  to  Tannenbrunn,"  the  man 
replied.     ''Will  you  bear  company ?" 

**  With  pleasure.  I  have  even  waited  for  you  on  the 
chance,"  answered  Otto. 

By  this  time  they  were  close  alongside;  and  the  man, 
with  the  countryfolk  instinct,  turned  his  cloudy  vision 
first  of  all  on  his  companion's  mount.  "The  devil!" 
he  cried,  '  *  You  ride  a  bonny  mare,  friend ! "  And  then, 
his  curiosity  being  satisfied  about  the  essential,  he  turned 
his  attention  to  that  merely  secondary  matter,  his  com- 
panion's face.     He  started.     ''The  Prince!"  he  cried, 

34 


IN  WHICH  THE  PRINCE  COLLECTS  OPINIONS  BY  THE  WAY 

saluting,  with  another  yaw  that  came  near  dismounting 
him.  "I  beg  your  pardon,  your  Highness,  not  to  have 
reco'nised  you  at  once." 

The  Prince  was  vexed  out  of  his  self-possession. 
*' Since  you  know  me,"  he  said,  "it  is  unnecessary  we 
should  ride  together.  I  will  precede  you,  if  you  please. " 
And  he  was  about  to  set  spur  to  the  grey  mare,  when 
the  half-drunken  fellow,  reaching  over,  laid  his  hand 
upon  the  rein. 

''Hark  you,"  he  said,  "prince  or  no  prince,  that  is 
not  how  one  man  should  conduct  himself  with  another. 
What!  You'll  ride  with  me  incog,  and  set  me  talking! 
But  if  I  know  you,  you'll  preshede  me,  if  you  please! 
Spy ! "  And  the  fellow,  crimson  with  drink  and  injured 
vanity,  almost  spat  the  word  into  the  Prince's  face. 

A  horrid  confusion  came  over  Otto.  He  perceived 
that  he  had  acted  rudely,  grossly  presuming  on  his  sta- 
tion. And  perhaps  a  little  shiver  of  physical  alarm  min- 
gled with  his  remorse,  for  the  fellow  was  very  powerful 
and  not  more  than  half  in  the  possession  of  his  senses. 
"Take  your  hand  from  my  rein,"  he  said,  with  a  suffi- 
cient assumption  of  command;  and  when  the  man, 
rather  to  his  wonder,  had  obeyed:  "You  should  un- 
derstand, sir,"  he  added,  "that  while  I  might  be  glad 
to  ride  with  you  as  one  person  of  sagacity  with  another, 
and  so  receive  your  true  opinions,  it  would  amuse  me 
very  little  to  hear  the  empty  compliments  you  would 
address  to  me  as  Prince." 

"You  think  I  would  lie,  do  you?"  cried  the  man 
with  the  bottle,  purpling  deeper. 

"I  know  you  would,"  returned  Otto,  entering  en- 
tirely into  his  self-possession.     "You  would  not  even 

35 


PRINCE  OTTO 

show  me  the  medal  you  wear  about  your  neck."  For 
he  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  green  ribbon  at  the  fellow's 
throat. 

The  change  was  instantaneous :  the  red  face  became 
mottled  with  yellow;  a  thick-fingered,  tottering  hand 
made  a  clutch  at  the  tell-tale  ribbon.  *' Medal!"  the 
man  cried,  wonderfully  sobered.    '*  I  have  no  medal." 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  the  Prince.  "  I  will  even  tell  you 
what  that  medal  bears:  a  Phoenix  burning,  with  the 
word  Libertas."  The  medallist  remaining  speechless, 
"You  are  a  pretty  fellow,"  continued  Otto,  smiling, 
"to  complain  of  incivility  from  the  man  whom  you  con- 
spire to  murder." 

**  Murder! "  protested  the  man.  *'  Nay,  never  that; 
nothing  criminal  for  me!  " 

*  *  You  are  strangely  misinformed, "  said  Otto.  '  *  Con- 
spiracy itself  is  criminal,  and  insures  the  pain  of  death. 
Nay,  sir,  death  it  is ;  I  will  guarantee  my  accuracy.  Not 
that  you  need  be  so  deplorably  affected,  for  I  am  no 
officer.  But  those  who  mingle  with  politics  should  look 
at  both  sides  of  the  medal." 

*'Your  Highness  ..."  began  the  knight  of  the 
bottle. 

''Nonsense!  you  are  a  Republican,"  cried  Otto; 
'  *  what  have  you  to  do  with  highnesses  ?  But  let  us  con- 
tinue to  ride  forward.  Since  you  so  much  desire  it,  I 
cannot  find  it  in  my  heart  to  deprive  you  of  my  com- 
pany. And  for  that  matter,  I  have  a  question  to  address 
to  you.  Why,  being  so  great  a  body  of  men  —  for  you 
are  a  great  body  —  fifteen  thousand,  I  have  heard,  but 
that  will  be  understated ;  am  I  right  ?  " 

The  man  gurgled  in  his  throat. 

36 


fN  WHICH  THE  PRINCE  COLLECTS  OPINIONS  BY  THE  WAY 

"Why,  then,  being  so  considerable  a  party,"  resumed 
Otto,  **do  you  not  come  before  me  boldly  with  your 
wants  ? —  what  do  I  say  ?  with  your  commands  ?  Have 
I  the  name  of  being  passionately  devoted  to  my  throne? 
I  can  scarce  suppose  it.  Come,  then;  show  me  your 
majority,  and  I  will  instantly  resign.  Tell  this  to  your 
friends;  assure  them  from  me  of  my  docility;  assure 
them  that,  however  they  conceived  of  my  deficiencies, 
they  cannot  suppose  me  more  unfit  to  be  a  ruler  than  I 
do  myself.  I  am  one  of  the  worst  princes  in  Europe; 
will  they  improve  on  that.?" 

*'  Far  be  it  from  me  ...  "  the  man  began. 

**See,  now,  if  you  will  not  defend  my  government!" 
cried  Otto.  'Mf  I  were  you,  I  would  leave  conspir- 
acies. You  are  as  little  fit  to  be  a  conspirator  as  I  to  be 
a  king." 

"One thing  I  will  say  out,"  said  the  man.  "  It  is  not 
so  much  you  that  we  complain  of,  it's  your  lady." 

"Not  a  word,  sir,"  said  the  Prince;  and  then  after 
a  moment's  pause,  and  in  tones  of  some  anger  and  con- 
tempt: "I  once  more  advise  you  to  have  done  with 
politics,"  he  added;  "and  when  next  I  see  you,  let  me 
see  you  sober.  A  morning  drunkard  is  the  last  man  to 
sit  in  judgment  even  upon  the  worst  of  princes." 

"I  have  had  a  drop,  but  I  had  not  been  drinking," 
the  man  replied,  triumphing  in  a  sound  distinction. 
* '  And  if  I  had,  what  then  ?  Nobody  hangs  by  me.  But 
my  mill  is  standing  idle,  and  I  blame  it  on  your  wife. 
Am  I  alone  in  that  ?  Go  round  and  ask.  Where  are 
the  mills  ?  Where  are  the  young  men  that  should  be 
working  ?  Where  is  the  currency  ?  All  paralysed.  No, 
sir,  it  is  not  equal ;  for  I  suffer  for  your  faults  —  I  pay  for 

37 


PRINCE  OTTO 

them,  by  George,  out  of  a  poor  man's  pocket.  And 
what  have  you  to  do  with  mine  ?  Drunk  or  sober,  I 
can  see  my  country  going  to  hell,  and  I  can  see  whose 
fault  it  is.  And  so  now,  I've  said  my  say,  and  you  may 
drag  me  to  a  stinking  dungeon ;  what  care  I  ?  I've 
spoke  the  truth,  and  so  I'll  hold  hard,  and  not  intrude 
upon  your  Highness's  society." 

And  the  miller  reined  up  and,  clumsily  enough,  sa- 
luted. 

"You  will  observe,  I  have  not  asked  your  name," 
said  Otto.  *'I  wish  you  a  good  ride,"  and  he  rode  on 
hard.  But  let  him  ride  as  he  pleased,  this  interview 
with  the  miller  was  a  chokepear,  which  he  could  not 
swallow.  He  had  begun  by  receiving  a  reproof  in  man- 
ners, and  ended  by  sustaining  a  defeat  in  logic,  both 
from  a  man  whom  he  despised.  All  his  old  thoughts 
returned  with  fresher  venom.  And  by  three  in  the 
afternoon,  coming  to  the  cross-roads  for  Beckstein,  Otto 
decided  to  turn  aside  and  dine  there  leisurely.  Nothing 
at  least  could  be  worse  than  to  go  on  as  he  was  going. 

In  the  inn  at  Beckstein  he  remarked,  immediately 
upon  his  entrance,  an  intelligent  young  gentleman  din- 
ing, with  a  book  in  front  of  him.  He  had  his  own  place 
laid  close  to  the  reader,  and  with  a  proper  apology, 
broke  ground  by  asking  what  he  read. 

'•'I  am  perusing,"  answered  the  young  gentleman, 
**the  last  work  of  the  Herr  Doctor  Hohenstockwitz, 
cousin  and  librarian  of  your  Prince  here  in  Grunewald 
—  a  man  of  great  erudition  and  some  lambencies  of 
wit." 

"  I  am  acquainted,"  said  Otto,  **  with  the  Herr  Doctor, 
though  not  yet  with  his  work." 

38 


m  WHICH  THE  PRINCE  COLLECTS  OPINIONS  BY  THE  WAY 

*'Two  privileges  that  I  must  envy  you,"  replied  the 
young  man,  politely:  **an  honour  in  hand,  a  pleasure 
in  the  bush." 

'*  The  Herr  Doctor  is  a  man  much  respected,  I  believe, 
for  his  attainments  ?  "  asked  the  Prince. 

"  He  is,  sir,  a  remarkable  instance  of  the  force  of  in- 
tellect," replied  the  reader.  ''Who  of  our  young  men 
know  anything  of  his  cousin,  all  reigning  Prince  al- 
though he  be  ?  Who  but  has  heard  of  Doctor  Gott- 
hold  ?  But  intellectual  merit,  alone  of  all  distinctions, 
has  its  base  in  nature." 

"I  have  the  gratification  of  addressing  a  student  — 
perhaps  an  author  ?  "  Otto  suggested. 

The  young  man  somewhat  flushed.  "I  have  some 
claim  to  both  distinctions,  sir,  as  you  suppose,"  said  he; 
*'  there  is  my  card.  I  am  the  licentiate  Roederer,  author 
of  several  works  on  the  theory  and  practice  of  politics." 

**  You  immensely  interest  me,"  said  the  Prince;  "the 
more  so  as  I  gather  that  here  in  Grunewald  we  are  on 
the  brink  of  revolution.  Pray,  since  these  have  been 
your  special  studies,  would  you  augur  hopefully  of  such 
a  movement  ?  " 

"I  perceive,"  said  the  young  author,  with  a  certain 
vinegary  twitch,  ''that  you  are  unacquainted  with  my 
opuscula.  I  am  a  convinced  authoritarian.  I  share 
none  of  those  illusory,  Utopian  fancies  with  which  em- 
pirics blind  themselves  and  exasperate  the  ignorant.  The 
day  of  these  ideas  is,  believe  me,  past,  or  at  least  passing. " 

"When  I  look  about  me "  began  Otto. 

"When  you  look  about  you,"  interrupted  the  licen- 
tiate, "  you  behold  the  ignorant.  But  in  the  laboratory 
of  opinion,  beside  the  studious  lamp,  we  begin  already 

}9 


PRINCE  OTTO 

to  discard  these  figments.  We  begin  to  return  to  na- 
ture's order,  to  what  I  might  call,  if  I  were  to  borrow 
from  the  language  of  therapeutics,  the  expectant  treat- 
ment of  abuses.  You  will  not  misunderstand  me,"  he 
continued:  "a  country  in  the  condition  in  which  we 
find  Grunewald,  a  prince  such  as  your  Prince  Otto,  we 
must  explicitly  condemn ;  they  are  behind  the  age.  But 
I  would  look  for  a  remedy  not  to  brute  convulsions,  but 
to  the  natural  supervenience  of  a  more  able  sovereign. 
I  should  amuse  you,  perhaps,"  added  the  licentiate, 
with  a  smile,  "  I  think  I  should  amuse  you  if  I  were  to 
explain  my  notion  of  a  prince.  We  who  have  studied 
in  the  closet,  no  longer,  in  this  age,  propose  ourselves 
for  active  service.  The  paths,  we  have  perceived,  are 
incompatible.  I  would  not  have  a  student  on  the  throne, 
though  I  would  have  one  near  by  for  an  adviser.  I 
would  set  forward  as  prince  a  man  of  a  good,  medium 
understanding,  lively  rather  than  deep ;  a  man  of  courtly 
manner,  possessed  of  the  double  art  to  ingratiate  and  to 
command  ;  receptive,  accommodating,  seductive.  I 
have  been  observing  you  since  your  first  entrance. 
Well,  sir,  were  I  a  subject  of  Grunewald  I  should  pray 
heaven  to  set  upon  the  seat  of  government  just  such  an- 
other as  yourself." 

"The  devil,  you  would!  "  exclaimed  the  Prince. 

The  licentiate  Roederer  laughed  most  heartily.  ''I 
thought  I  should  astonish  you,"  he  said.  "These  are 
not  the  ideas  of  the  masses." 

"They  are  not,  I  can  assure  you,"  Otto  said. 

"Or  rather,"  distinguished  the  licentiate,  "not  to- 
day. The  time  will  come,  however,  when  these  ideas 
shall  prevail." 

40 


IN  WHICH  THE  PRINCE  COLLECTS  OPINIONS  BY  THE  WAY 

''You  will  permit  me,  sir,  to  doubt  it,"  said  Otto. 

"Modesty  is  always  admirable,"  chuckled  the  theo- 
rist. *'  But  yet  I  assure  you,  a  man  like  you,  with  such 
a  man  as,  say.  Doctor  Gotthold  at  your  elbow,  would 
be,  for  all  practical  issues,  my  ideal  ruler." 

At  this  rate  the  hours  sped  pleasantly  for  Otto.  But 
the  licentiate  unfortunately  slept  that  night  at  Beckstein, 
where  he  was,  being  dainty  in  the  saddle  and  given  to 
half  stages.  And  to  find  a  convoy  to  Mittwalden,  and 
thus  mitigate  the  company  of  his  own  thoughts,  the 
Prince  had  to  make  favour  with  a  certain  party  of  wood 
merchants  from  various  states  of  the  empire,  who  had 
been  drinking  together  somewhat  noisily  at  the  far  end 
of  the  apartment. 

The  night  had  already  fallen  when  they  took  the  sad- 
dle. The  merchants  were  very  loud  and  mirthful ;  each 
had  a  face  like  a  nor' west  moon ;  and  they  played  pranks 
with  each  other's  horses,  and  mingled  songs  and  cho- 
ruses, and  alternately  remembered  and  forgot  the  com- 
panion of  their  ride.  Otto  thus  combined  society  and 
solitude,  hearkening  now  to  their  chattering  and  empty 
talk,  now  to  the  voices  of  the  encircling  forest.  The 
starlit  dark,  the  faint  wood  airs,  the  clank  of  the  horse- 
shoes making  broken  music,  accorded  together  and  at- 
tuned his  mind.  And  he  was  still  in  a  most  equal  tem- 
per when  the  party  reached  the  top  of  that  long  hill  that 
overlooks  Mittwalden. 

Down  in  the  bottom  of  a  bowl  of  forest,  the  lights  of 
the  little  formal  town  glittered  in  a  pattern,  street  cross- 
ing street;  away  by  itself  on  the  right,  the  palace  was 
glowing  like  a  factory. 

Although  he  knew  not  Otto,  one  of  the  wood  mer- 

4' 


PRINCE  OTTO 

chants  was  a  native  of  the  state.  *' There,"  said  he, 
pointing  to  the  palace  with  his  whip,  ''there  is  Jezebel's 
inn." 

"What,  do  you  call  it  that?"  cried  another  laugh- 
ing. 

"Ay,  that's  what  they  call  it,"  returned  the  Grune- 
walder;  and  he  broke  into  a  song,  which  the  rest,  as 
people  well  acquainted  with  the  words  and  air,  instantly 
took  up  in  chorus.  Her  Serene  Highness  Amalia  Sera- 
phina.  Princess  of  Grunewald,  was  the  heroine,  Gon- 
dremark  the  hero  of  this  ballad.  Shame  hissed  in  Otto's 
ears.  He  reined  up  short  and  sat  stunned  in  the  saddle; 
and  the  singers  continued  to  descend  the  hill  without 
him. 

The  song  went  to  a  rough,  swashing,  popular  air; 
and  long  after  the  words  became  inaudible  the  swing 
of  the  music,  rising  and  falling,  echoed  insult  in  the 
Prince's  brain.  He  fled  the  sounds.  Hard  by  him  on 
his  right  a  road  struck  towards  the  palace,  and  he  fol- 
lowed it  through  the  thick  shadows  and  branching 
alleys  of  the  park.  It  was  a  busy  place  on  a  fine  sum- 
mer's afternoon,  when  the  court  and  burghers  met  and 
saluted ;  but  at  that  hour  of  the  night  in  the  early  spring 
it  was  deserted  to  the  roosting  birds.  Hares  rustled 
among  the  covert;  here  and  there  a  statue  stood  glim- 
mering, with  its  eternal  gesture;  here  and  there  the 
echo  of  an  imitation  temple  clattered  ghostly  to  the 
trampling  of  the  mare.  Ten  minutes  brought  him  to 
the  upper  end  of  his  own  home  garden,  where  the  small 
stables  opened,  over  a  bridge,  upon  the  park.  The  yard 
clock  was  striking  the  hour  of  ten ;  so  was  the  big  bell 
in  the  palace  bell-tower;  and,  farther  off",  the  belfries  of 

42 


IN  WHICH  THE  PRINCE  COLLECTS  OPINIONS  BY  THE  WAY 

the  town.  About  the  stable  all  else  was  silent  but  the 
stamping  of  stalled  horses  and  the  rattle  of  halters. 
Otto  dismounted  ;  and  as  he  did  so  a  memory  camx 
back  to  him :  a  whisper  of  dishonest  grooms  and  stolen 
corn,  once  heard,  long  forgotten,  and  now  recurring  in 
the  nick  of  opportunity.  He  crossed  the  bridge,  and, 
going  up  to  a  window,  knocked  six  or  seven  heavy 
blows  in  a  particular  cadence,  and,  as  he  did  so,  smiled. 
Presently  a  wicket  was  opened  in  the  gate,  and  a  man's 
head  appeared  in  the  dim  starlight. 

''Nothing  to-night,"  said  a  voice. 

'*  Bring  a  lantern,"  said  the  Prince. 

''Dear  heart  a'  mercy!  "  cried  the  groom.  *' Who's 
that  ?  " 

"  It  is  I,  the  Prince,"  replied  Otto.  "  Bring  a  lantern, 
take  in  the  mare,  and  let  me  through  into  the  garden." 

The  man  remained  silent  for  a  while,  his  head  still 
projecting  through  the  wicket. 

' '  His  Highness !  "  he  said  at  last.  ' '  And  why  did  your 
Highness  knock  so  strange?" 

"It  is  a  superstition  in  Mittwalden,"  answered  Otto, 
"that  it  cheapens  corn." 

With  a  sound  like  a  sob  the  groom  fled.  He  was 
very  white  when  he  returned,  even  by  the  light  of  the 
lantern ;  and  his  hand  trembled  as  he  undid  the  fasten- 
ings and  took  the  mare. 

"Your  Highness,"  he  began  at  last,  "  for  God's  sake 
.  .  .  ."     And  there  he  paused,  oppressed  with  guilt. 

"For  God's  sake,  what?"  asked  Otto,  cheerfully. 
"  For  God's  sake,  let  us  have  cheaper  corn,  say  I.  Good- 
night! "  And  he  strode  off  into  the  garden,  leaving  the 
groom  petrified  once  more. 

43 


PRINCE  OTTO 

The  garden  descended  by  a  succession  of  stone  ter- 
races to  the  level  of  the  fish  pond.  On  the  far  side  the 
ground  rose  again,  and  was  crowned  by  the  confused 
roofs  and  gables  of  the  palace.  The  modern  pillared 
front,  the  ball-room,  the  great  library,  the  princely 
apartments,  the  busy  and  illuminated  quarters  of  that 
great  house,  all  faced  the  town.  The  garden  side  was 
much  older;  and  here  it  was  almost  dark;  only  a  few 
windows  quietly  lighted  at  various  elevations.  The 
great  square  tower  rose,  thinning  by  stages  like  a  tele- 
scope; and  on  the  top  of  all  the  flag  hung  motionless. 

The  garden,  as  it  now  lay  in  the  dusk  and  glimmer 
of  the  starshine,  breathed  of  April  violets.  Under  night's 
cavern  arch  the  shrubs  obscurely  bustled.  Through 
the  plotted  terraces  and  down  the  marble  stairs  the 
Prince  rapidly  descended,  fleeing  before  uncomfortable 
thoughts.  But,  alas!  from  these  there  is  no  city  of 
refuge.  And  now,  when  he  was  about  midway  of  the 
descent,  distant  strains  of  music  began  to  fall  upon  his 
ear  from  the  ball-room,  where  the  court  was  dancing. 
They  reached  him  faint  and  broken,  but  they  touched 
the  keys  of  memory;  and  through  and  above  them. 
Otto  heard  the  ranting  melody  of  the  wood  merchants' 
song.  Mere  blackness  seized  upon  his  mind.  Here 
he  was,  coming  home;  the  wife  was  dancing,  the  hus- 
band had  been  playing  a  trick  upon  a  lackey ;  and  mean- 
while, all  about  them,  they  were  a  by-word  to  their  sub- 
jects. Such  a  prince,  such  a  husband,  such  a  man,  as 
this  Otto  had  become!    And  he  sped  the  faster  onward. 

Some  way  below  he  came  unexpectedly  upon  a 
sentry ;  yet  a  little  further,  and  he  was  challenged  by  a 
second ;  and  as  he  crossed  the  bridge  over  the  fish  pond, 

44 


IN  WHICH  THE  PRINCE  COLLECTS  OPINIONS  BY  THE  WAY 

an  officer  making  the  rounds  stopped  him  once  more. 
The  parade  of  watch  was  more  than  usual ;  but  curiosity 
was  dead  in  Otto's  mind,  and  he  only  chafed  at  the  in- 
terruption. The  porter  of  the  back  postern  admitted 
him,  and  started  to  behold  him  so  disordered.  Thence, 
hasting  by  private  stairs  and  passages,  he  came  at 
length  unseen  to  his  own  chamber,  tore  off  his  clothes, 
and  threw  himself  upon  his  bed  in  the  dark.  The  music 
of  the  ball-room  still  continued  to  a  very  lively  measure ; 
and  still,  behind  that,  he  heard  in  spirit  the  chorus  of  the 
merchants  clanking  down  the  hill. 


45 


BOOK  II 
OF  LOVE  AND  POLITICS 


CHAPTER  I 

WHAT  HAPPENED   IN  THE   LIBRARY 

AT  a  quarter  before  six  on  the  following  morning  Doc- 
L  tor  Gotthold  was  already  at  his  desk  in  the  library ; 
and  with  a  small  cup  of  black  coffee  at  his  elbow,  and 
an  eye  occasionally  wandering  to  the  busts  and  the  long 
array  of  many-coloured  books,  was  quietly  reviewing 
the  labours  of  the  day  before.  He  was  a  man  of  about 
forty,  flaxen-haired,  with  refined  features  a  little  worn, 
and  bright  eyes  somewhat  faded.  Early  to  bed  and  early 
to  rise,  his  life  was  devoted  to  two  things:  erudition 
and  Rhine  wine.  An  ancient  friendship  existed  latent 
between  him  and  Otto ;  they  rarely  met,  but  when  they 
did  it  was  to  take  up  at  once  the  thread  of  their  sus- 
pended intimacy.  Gotthold,  the  virgin  priest  of  know- 
ledge, had  envied  his  cousin,  for  half  a  day,  when  he  was 
married;  he  had  never  envied  him  his  throne. 

Reading  was  not  a  popular  diversion  at  the  court  of 
Grunewald ;  and  that  great,  pleasant,  sunshiny  gallery 
of  books  and  statues  was,  in  practice,  Gotthold's  private 
cabinet.  On  this  particular  Wednesday  morning,  how- 
ever, he  had  not  been  long  about  his  manuscript  when 
a  door  opened  and  the  Prince  stepped  into  the  apart- 
ment. The  doctor  watched  him  as  he  drew  near,  re- 
ceiving, from  each  of  the  embayed  windows  in  succes- 

49 


PRINCE  OTTO 

sion,  a  flush  of  morning  sun ;  and  Otto  looked  so  gay, 
and  walked  so  airily,  he  was  so  well  dressed  and  brushed 
and  frizzled,  so  point-de-vice,  and  of  such  a  sovereign 
elegance,  that  the  heart  of  his  cousin  the  recluse  was 
rather  moved  against  him. 

"Good  morning,  Gotthold,"  said  Otto,  dropping  in 
a  chair. 

* '  Good  morning,  Otto, "  returned  the  librarian.  *  *  You 
are  an  early  bird.  Is  this  an  accident,  or  do  you  begin 
reforming  ?  " 

*'  It  is  about  time,  I  fancy,"  answered  the  Prince. 

**I  cannot  imagine,"  said  the  Doctor.  "I  am  too 
sceptical  to  be  an  ethical  adviser;  and  as  for  good  reso- 
lutions, I  believed  in  them  when  I  was  young.  They  are 
the  colours  of  hope's  rainbow." 

"If  you  come  to  think  of  it,"  said  Otto,  "I  am  not  a 
popular  sovereign."  And  with  a  look  he  changed  his 
statement  to  a  question. 

"Popular.?  Well,  there  I  would  distinguish,"  an- 
swered Gotthold,  leaning  back  and  joining  the  tips  of 
his  fingers.  "There  are  various  kinds  of  popularity; 
the  bookish,  which  is  perfectly  impersonal,  as  unreal  as 
the  nightmare;  the  politician's,  a  mixed  variety;  and 
yours,  which  is  the  most  personal  of  all.  Women  take 
to  you ;  footmen  adore  you ;  it  is  as  natural  to  like  you 
as  to  pat  a  dog;  and  were  you  a  saw-miller  you  would 
be  the  most  popular  citizen  in  Grunewald.  As  a  prince 
—  well,  you  are  in  the  wrong  trade.  It  is  perhaps 
philosophical  to  recognise  it  as  you  do." 

"Perhaps  philosophical?"  repeated  Otto. 

"Yes,  perhaps.  I  would  not  be  dogmatic,"  an- 
swered Gotthold. 


WHAT   HAPPENED   IN   THE   LIBRARY 

'*  Perhaps  philosophical,  and  certainly  not  virtuous," 
Otto  resumed. 

"Not  of  a  Roman  virtue,"  chuckled  the  recluse. 

Otto  drew  his  chair  nearer  to  the  table,  leaned  upon 
it  with  his  elbow,  and  looked  his  cousin  squarely  in  the 
face.     ''In  short,"  he  asked,  ''not  manty  ?" 

"  Well,"  Gotthold  hesitated,  "  not  manly,  if  you  will.'* 
And  then  with  a  laugh,  "  I  did  not  know  that  you  gave 
yourself  out  to  be  manly,"  he  added.  "  It  was  one  of 
the  points  that  I  inclined  to  like  about  you ;  inclined,  I 
believe,  to  admire.  The  names  of  virtues  exercise  a 
charm  on  most  of  us;  we  must  lay  claim  to  all  of  them, 
however  incompatible;  we  must  all  be  both  daring  and 
prudent;  we  must  all  vaunt  our  pride  and  go  to  the 
stake  for  our  humility.  Not  so  you.  Without  compro- 
mise you  were  yourself:  a  pretty  sight.  I  have  always 
said  it:  none  so  void  of  all  pretence  as  Otto." 

"  Pretence  and  effort  both ! "  cried  Otto.  "A  dead  dog 
in  a  canal  is  more  alive.  And  the  question,  Gotthold,  the 
question  that  I  have  to  face  is  this :  Can  I  not,  with  effort 
and  self-denial,  can  I  not  become  a  tolerable  sovereign.?" 

"Never,"  replied  Gotthold.  "Dismiss  the  notion. 
And  besides,  dear  child,  you  would  not  try." 

"Nay,  Gotthold,  I  am  not  to  be  put  by,"  said  Otto. 
"  If  I  am  constitutionally  unfit  to  be  a  sovereign,  what 
am  1  doing  with  this  money,  with  this  palace,  with 
these  guards  ?  And  1  —  a  thief —  am  to  execute  the  law 
on  others  ?  " 

"  I  admit  the  difficulty,"  said  Gotthold. 

"  Well,  can  I  not  try  ?"  continued  Otto.  "Am  I  not 
bound  to  try  ?  And  with  the  advice  and  help  of  such  a 

a  man  as  you " 

51 


PRINCE  OTTO 

'  *  Me !  "  cried  the  librarian.     ' '  Now,  God  forbid ! " 

Otto,  though  he  was  in  no  very  smiling  humour, 
could  not  forbear  to  smile.  *'  Yet  I  was  told  last  night," 
he  laughed,  "that  with  a  man  like  me  to  impersonate, 
and  a  man  like  you  to  touch  the  springs,  a  very  possi- 
ble government  could  be  composed." 

''Now  I  wonder  in  what  diseased  imagination,"  Gott- 
hold  said,  ''that  preposterous  monster  saw  the  light 
of  day.?" 

"  It  was  one  of  your  own  trade —  a  writer,  one  Roe- 
derer,"  said  Otto. 

"Roederer!  an  ignorant  puppy!"  cried  the  librarian. 

"You  are  ungrateful,"  said  Otto.  "He  is  one  of 
your  professed  admirers." 

"Is  he?"  cried  Gotthold,  obviously  impressed. 
"Come,  that  is  a  good  account  of  the  young  man.  I 
must  read  his  stuff  again.  It  is  the  rather  to  his  credit, 
as  our  views  are  opposite.  The  east  and  west  are  not 
more  opposite.  Can  I  have  converted  him?  But  no; 
the  incident  belongs  to  Fairyland." 

"  You  are  not  then,"  asked  the  Prince,  "an  authorita- 
rian.?" 

"I?  God  bless  me,  no !"  said  Gotthold.  "lama 
red,  dear  child." 

"That  brings  me  then  to  my  next  point,  and  by  a 
natural  transition.  If  I  am  so  clearly  unfitted  for  my 
post,"  the  Prince  asked;  "if  my  friends  admit  it,  if  my 
subjects  clamour  for  my  downfall,  if  revolution  is  pre- 
paring at  this  hour,  must  I  not  go  forth  to  meet  the  in- 
evitable ?  should  I  not  save  these  horrors  and  be  done 
with  these  absurdities  ?  in  a  word,  should  I  not  abdi- 
cate ?    O,  believe  me,  I  feel  the  ridicule,  the  vast  abuse 

52 


WHAT  HAPPENED   IN  THE  LIBRARY 

of  language,"  he  added,  wincing,  "but  even  a  princi- 
pulus  like  me  cannot  resign;  he  must  make  a  great 
gesture,  and  come  buskined  forth,  and  abdicate." 

"Ay,"  said  Gotthold,  "or  else  stay  where  he  is. 
What  gnat  has  bitten  you  to-day  ?  Do  you  not  know 
that  you  are  touching,  with  lay  hands,  the  very  holiest 
inwards  of  philosophy,  where  madness  dwells  ?  Ay, 
Otto,  madness;  for  in  the  serene  temples  of  the  wise, 
the  inmost  shrine,  which  we-  carefully  keep  locked,  is 
full  of  spiders'  webs.  All  men,  all,  are  fundamentally 
useless ;  nature  tolerates,  she  does  not  need,  she  does 
not  use  them:  sterile  flowers!  All  —  down  to  the  fel- 
low swinking  in  a  byre,  whom  fools  point  out  for  the 
exception  —  all  are  useless;  all  weave  ropes  of  sand;  or 
like  a  child  that  has  breathed  on  a  window,  write  and 
obliterate,  write  and  obliterate,  idle  words!  Talk  of 
it  no  more.  That  way,  I  tell  you,  madness  lies." 
The  speaker  rose  from  his  chair  and  then  sat  down 
again.  He  laughed  a  little  laugh,  and  then,  changing 
his  tone,  resumed:  "Yes,  dear  child,  we  are  not  here 
to  do  battle  with  giants ;  we  are  here  to  be  happy  like 
the  flowers,  if  we  can  be.  It  is  because  you  could, 
that  I  have  always  secretly  admired  you.  Cling  to 
that  trade;  believe  me,  it  is  the  right  one.  Be  happy, 
be  idle,  be  airy.  To  the  devil  with  all  casuistry !  and 
leave  the  state  to  Gondremark,  as  heretofore.  He  does 
it  well  enough,  they  say;  and  his  vanity  enjoys  the 
situation." 

" Gotthold,"  cried  Otto,  "what  is  this  to  me ?  Use- 
less is  not  the  question ;  I  cannot  rest  at  uselessness ;  I 
must  be  useful  or  I  must  be  noxious  —  one  or  other.  I 
grant  you  the  whole  thing,  prince  and  principality  alike, 

53 


PRINCE  OTTO 

is  pure  absurdity,  a  stroke  of  satire;  and  that  a  banker 
or  the  man  who  keeps  an  inn  has  graver  duties.  But 
now,  when  I  have  washed  my  hands  of  it  three  years, 
and  left  all  —  labour,  responsibility,  and  honour  and  en- 
joyment too,  if  there  be  any  —  to  Gondremark  and  to 

—  Seraphina "      He   hesitated  at  the  name,    and 

Gotthold  glanced  aside.  *'  Well,"  the  Prince  continued, 
"what  has  come  of  it.^  Taxes,  army,  cannon  —  why, 
it's  like  a  box  of  lead  soldiers!  And  the  people  sick  at 
the  folly  of  it,  and  fired  with  the  injustice!  And  war, 
too  —  I  hear  of  war — war  in  this  teapot!  What  a 
complication  of  absurdity  and  disgrace!  And  when 
the  inevitable  end  arrives  —  the  revolution  —  who  will 
be  to  blame  in  the  sight  of  God,  who  will  be  gibbeted 
in  public  opinion  ?    I!  Prince  Puppet!  " 

*'I  thought  you  had  despised  public  opinion,"  said 
Gotthold. 

"I  did,"  said  Otto,  sombrely,  "but  now  I  do  not. 
I  am  growing  old.  And  then,  Gotthold,  there  is  Sera- 
phina. She  is  loathed  in  this  country  that  I  brought  her 
to  and  suffered  her  to  spoil.  Yes,  I  gave  it  her  as  a 
plaything,  and  she  has  broken  it:  a  fine  Prince,  an  ad- 
mirable Princess!  Even  her  life  —  I  ask  you,  Gotthold, 
is  her  life  safe  ?  " 

"  It  is  safe  enough  to-day,"  replied  the  librarian ;  *'  but 
since  you  ask  me  seriously,  I  would  not  answer  for  to- 
morrow.    She  is  ill-advised." 

"And  by  whom?  By  this  Gondremark,  to  whom 
you  counsel  me  to  leave  my  country,"  cried  the  Prince. 
"Rare  advice!  The  course  that  I  have  been  following 
all  these  years,  to  come  at  last  to  this.  O,  ill-advised! 
if  that  were  all!    See  now,  there  is  no  sense  in  beating 

54 


WHAT   HAPPENED   IN   THE   LIBRARY 

about  the  bush  between  two  men:  you  know  what 
scandal  says  of  her  ?  " 

Gotthold,  with  pursed  lips,  silently  nodded. 

**Well,  come,  you  are  not  very  cheering  as  to  my 
conduct  as  the  Prince;  have  I  even  done  my  duty  as  a 
husband  ?  "  Otto  asked. 

"Nay,  nay,"  said  Gotthold,  earnestly  and  eagerly, 
"this  is  another  chapter.  I  am  an  old  celibate,  an  old 
monk.     I  cannot  advise  you  in  your  marriage." 

"Nor  do  I  require  advice,"  said  Otto,  rising.  "  All  of 
this  must  cease."  And  he  began  to  walk  to  and  fro 
with  his  hands  behind  his  back. 

"Well,  Otto,  may  God  guide  you!"  said  Gotthold, 
after  a  considerable  silence.     "  I  cannot." 

"From  what  does  all  this  spring.^"  said  the  Prince, 
stopping  in  his  walk.  "What  a,m  I  to  call  it.?  Diffi- 
dence ?  The  fear  of  ridicule  ?  Inverted  vanity  ?  What  mat- 
ter names,  if  it  has  brought  me  to  this  ?  I  could  never 
bear  to  be  bustling  about  nothing;  I  was  ashamed  of  this 
toy  kingdom  from  the  first;  I  could  not  tolerate  that  peo- 
ple should  fancy  I  believed  in  a  thing  so  patently  absurd ! 
I  would  do  nothing  that  cannot  be  done  smiling.  I  have 
a  sense  of  humour  forsooth !  I  must  know  better  than  my 
maker.  And  it  was  the  same  thing  in  my  marriage,"  he 
added  more  hoarsely.  "  I  did  not  believe  this  girl  could 
care  for  me;  I  must  not  intrude;  I  must  preserve  the 
foppery  of  my  indifference.    What  an  impotent  picture ! " 

"Ay,  we  have  the  same  blood,"  moralised  Gotthold. 
"You  are  drawing,  with  fine  strokes,  the  character  of 
the  born  sceptic." 

' '  Sceptic  ?  —  coward !  "  cried  Otto.  ' '  Coward  is  the 
word.    A  springless,  putty-hearted,  cowering  coward ! " 

55 


PRINCE  OTTO 

And  as  the  Prince  rapped  out  the  words  in  tones  of 
unusual  vigour,  a  little,  stout,  old  gentleman,  opening 
a  door  behind  Gotthold,  received  them  fairly  in  the  face. 
With  his  parrot's  beak  for  a  nose,  his  pursed  mouth,  his 
little  goggling  eyes,  he  was  the  picture  of  formality ; 
and  in  ordinary  circumstances,  strutting  behind  the 
drum  of  his  corporation,  he  impressed  the  beholder 
with  a  certain  air  of  frozen  dignity  and  wisdom.  But 
at  the  smallest  contrariety,  his  trembling  hands  and  dis- 
connected gestures  betrayed  the  weakness  at  the  root. 
And  now,  when  he  was  thus  surprisingly  received  in 
that  library  of  Mittwalden  Palace,  which  was  the  cus- 
tomary haunt  of  silence,  his  hands  went  up  into  the  air 
as  if  he  had  been  shot,  and  he  cried  aloud  with  the 
scream  of  an  old  woman. 

**0!"  he  gasped,  recovering,  ''Your  Highness!  I 
beg  ten  thousand  pardons.  But  your  Highness  at  such 
an  hour  in  the  library!  —  a  circumstance  so  unusual  as 
your  Highness's  presence  was  a  thing  I  could  not  be  ex- 
pected to  foresee." 

"There is  no  harm  done,  Herr  Cancellarius,"  said  Otto. 

"I  came  upon  the  errand  of  a  moment:  some  papers 
I  left  over  night  with  the  Herr  Doctor,"  said  the  Chan- 
cellor of  Grunewald.  "  Herr  Doctor,  if  you  will  kindly 
give  me  them,  I  will  intrude  no  longer." 

Gotthold  unlocked  a  drawer  and  handed  a  bundle  of 
manuscript  to  the  old  gentleman,  who  prepared,  with 
fitting  salutations,  to  take  his  departure. 

"Herr  Greisengesang,  since  we  have  met,"  said  Otto, 
"let  us  talk." 

"I  am  honoured  by  his  Highness's  commands,"  re- 
plied the  Chancellor. 

56 


WHAT  HAPPENED   IN   THE   LIBRARY 

**A11  has  been  quiet  since  I  left?"  asked  the  Prince, 
resuming  his  seat. 

"The  usual  business,  your  Highness,"  answered 
Greisengesang;  "punctual  trifles:  huge,  indeed,  if  neg- 
lected, but  trifles  when  discharged.  Your  Highness  is 
most  zealously  obeyed." 

"Obeyed,  Herr  Cancellarius ? "  returned  the  Prince. 
"And  when  have  I  obliged  you  with  an  order .^  Re- 
placed, let  us  rather  say.  But  to  touch  upon  these  trifles ; 
instance  me  a  few." 

"The  routine  of  government,  from  which  your  High- 
ness has  so  wisely  dissociated  his  leisure.  .  .  "  began 
Greisengesang. 

"We  will  leave  my  leisure,  sir,"  said  Otto.  "Ap- 
proach the  facts." 

"The  routine  of  business  was  proceeded  with,"  re- 
plied the  official,  now  visibly  twittering. 

"  It  is  very  strange,  Herr  Cancellarius,  that  you  should 
so  persistently  avoid  my  questions,"  said  the  Prince. 
"You  tempt  me  to  suppose  a  purpose  in  your  dulness. 
I  have  asked  you  whether  all  was  quiet:  do  me  the 
pleasure  to  reply." 

"Perfectly  —  O,  perfectly  quiet,"  jerked  the  ancient 
puppet,  with  every  signal  of  untruth. 

"I  make  a  note  of  these  words,"  said  the  Prince, 
gravely.  "You  assure  me,  your  sovereign,  that  since 
the  date  of  my  departure  nothing  has  occurred  of  which 
you  owe  me  an  account." 

"  I  take  your  Highness,  I  take  the  Herr  Doctor  to  wit- 
ness," cried  Greisengesang,  "that  I  have  had  no  such 
expression." 

"Halt!"  said  the  Prince;   and  then,  after  a  pause: 
57 


PRINCE  OTTO 

"  Herr  Greisengesang,  you  are  an  old  man,  and  you 
served  my  father  before  you  served  me,"  he  added. 
*'\t  consists  neither  with  your  dignity  nor  mine,  that 
you  should  babble  excuses  and  stumble  possibly 
upon  untruths.  Collect  your  thoughts;  and  then 
categorically  inform  me  of  all  you  have  been  charged 
to  hide." 

Gotthold,  stooping  very  low  over  his  desk,  appeared 
to  have  resumed  his  labours ;  but  his  shoulders  heaved 
with  subterranean  merriment.  The  Prince  waited, 
drawing  his  handkerchief  quietly  through  his  fingers. 

"Your  Highness,  in  this  informal  manner,"  said  the 
old  gentleman  at  last,  "and  being  unavoidably  deprived 
of  documents,  it  would  be  difficult,  it  would  be  impos- 
sible, to  do  justice  to  the  somewhat  grave  occurrences 
which  have  transpired." 

"I  will  not  criticise  your  attitude,"  replied  the  Prince. 
"I  desire  that,  between  you  and  me,  all  should  be  done 
gently;  for  I  have  not  forgotten,  my  old  friend,  that  you 
were  kind  to  me  from  the  first,  and  for  a  period  of  years 
a  faithful  servant.  I  will  thus  dismiss  the  matters  on 
which  you  waive  immediate  inquiry.  But  you  have 
certain  papers  actually  in  your  hand.  Come,  Herr 
Greisengesang,  there  is  at  least  one  point  for  which  you 
have  authority.     Enlighten  me  on  that." 

"On  that?"  cried  the  old  gentleman.  "O,  that  is 
a  trifle;  a  matter,  your  Highness,  of  police;  a  detail 
of  a  purely  administrative  order.  These  are  simply  a 
selection  of  the  papers  seized  upon  the  English  tra- 
veller." 

'  *  Seized  ?  "  echoed  Otto.  '  *  In  what  sense  ?  Explain 
yourself." 

58 


WHAT   HAPPENED   IN   THE   LIBRARY 

''Sir  John  Crabtree,"  interposed  Gotthold,  looking 
up,  "was  arrested  yesterday  evening." 

"Is  this  so,  Herr  Cancellarius ? "  demanded  Otto, 
sternly. 

"It  was  judged  right,  your  Highness,"  protested 
Greisengesang.  *  *  The  decree  was  in  due  form,  invested 
with  your  Highness's  authority  by  procuration.  I  am 
but  an  agent;  I  had  no  status  to  prevent  the  measure." 

"This  man,  my  guest,  has  been  arrested,"  said  the 
Prince.  "On  what  grounds,  sir?  With  what  colour 
of  pretence  ?  " 

The  Chancellor  stammered. 

"  Your  Highness  will  perhaps  find  the  reason  in  these 
documents,"  said  Gotthold,  pointing  with  the  tail  of  his 
pen. 

Otto  thanked  his  cousin  with  a  look.  "Give  them 
to  me,"  he  said,  addressing  the  Chancellor. 

But  that  gentleman  visibly  hesitated  to  obey.  ' '  Baron 
von  Gondremark,"  he  said,  "has  made  the  affair  his 
own.  I  am  in  this  case  a  mere  messenger;  and  as  such, 
I  am  not  clothed  with  any  capacity  to  communicate  the 
documents  I  carry.  Herr  Doctor,  I  am  convinced  you 
will  not  fail  to  bear  me  out." 

"I  have  heard  a  great  deal  of  nonsense,"  said  Gott- 
hold, "and  most  of  it  from  you;  but  this  beats  all." 

"Come,  sir,"  said  Otto,  rising,  "the  papers  I  com- 
mand." 

Herr  Greisengesang  instantly  gave  way. 

"With  your  Highness's  permission,"  he  said,  "and 
laying  at  his  feet  my  most  submiss  apologies,  I  will 
now  hasten  to  attend  his  further  orders  in  the  Chan- 
cery. " 

59 


PRINCE  OTTO 

*'Herr  Cancellarius,  do  you  see  this  chair?"  said  Otto. 
' '  There  is  where  you  shall  attend  my  further  orders.  O, 
now,  no  more!"  he  cried,  with  a  gesture,  as  the  old 
man  opened  his  lips.  ''You  have  sufficiently  marked 
your  zeal  to  your  employer;  and  I  begin  to  weary  of  a 
moderation  you  abuse." 

The  Chancellor  moved  to  the  appointed  chair  and  took 
his  seat  in  silence. 

"And  now,"  said  Otto,  opening  the  roll,  "what 
is  all  this  ?  it  looks  like  the  manuscript  of  a  book." 

"  It  is,"  said  Gotthold,  "the  manuscript  of  a  book  of 
travels." 

"You  have  read  it.  Doctor  Hohenstockwitz  ?  "  asked 
the  Prince. 

"Nay,  I  but  saw  the  title  page,"  replied  Gotthold. 
"But  the  roll  was  given  to  me  open,  and  I  heard  no 
word  of  any  secrecy." 

Otto  dealt  the  Chancellor  an  angry  glance. 

"I  see,"  he  went  on.  "The  papers  of  an  author 
seized  at  this  date  of  the  world's  history,  in  a  state  so 
petty  and  so  ignorant  as  Griinewald,  here  is  indeed  an  ig- 
nominious folly.  Sir,"  to  the  Chancellor,  "  I  marvel  to 
fmd  you  in  so  scurvy  an  employment.  On  your  con- 
duct to  your  Prince  I  will  not  dwell;  but  to  descend  to 
be  a  spy !  For  what  else  can  it  be  called  ?  To  seize  the 
papers  of  this  gentleman,  the  private  papers  of  a  stran- 
ger, the  toil  of  a  life,  perhaps  —  to  open,  and  to  read 
them.  And  what  have  we  to  do  with  books  ?  The 
Herr  Doctor  might  perhaps  be  asked  for  his  advice;  but 
we  have  no  index  expurgatorim  in  Grunewald.  Had 
we  but  that,  we  should  be  the  most  absolute  parody 
and  farce  upon  this  tawdry  earth." 

60 


WHAT  HAPPENED   IN  THE   LIBRARY 

Yet,  even  while  Otto  spoke,  he  had  continued  to  un- 
fold the  roll ;  and  now,  when  it  lay  fully  open,  his  eye 
rested  on  the  title  page  elaborately  written  in  red  ink. 
It  ran  thus : 

''Memoirs 

of  a  Visit  to  the  Various 

Courts  of  Europe, 

by 

Sir  John  Crabtree,  Baronet." 

Below  was  a  list  of  chapters,  each  bearing  the  name 
of  one  of  the  European  Courts;  and  among  these  the 
nineteenth  and  last  upon  the  list  was  dedicated  to 
Grunewald. 

"Ah!  The  Court  of  Grunewald!"  said  Otto,  "that 
should  be  droll  reading."   And  his  curiosity  itched  for  it. 

"A  methodical  dog,  this  English  Baronet,"  said  Gott- 
hold.  "  Each  chapter  written  and  finished  on  the  spot. 
I  shall  look  for  his  work  when  it  appears." 

"It  would  be  odd,  now,  just  to  glance  at  it,"  said 
Otto,  wavering. 

Gotthold's  brow  darkened,  and  he  looked  out  of 
window. 

But  though  the  Prince  understood  the  reproof,  his 
weakness  prevailed.  "  I  will,"  he  said,  with  an  uneasy 
laugh,  "  I  will,  I  think,  just  glance  at  it." 

So  saying,  he  resumed  his  seat  and  spread  the  travel- 
ler's manuscript  upon  the  table. 


6i 


CHAPTER  II 

*'  ON  THE  COURT  OF  GRUNEWALD,"  BEING  A  PORTION  OF  THE 
traveller's  MANUSCRIPT 

It  may  well  be  asked  (//  was  thus  the  English  traveller 
began  his  nineteenth  chapter)  why  I  should  have  chosen 
Grunewald  out  of  so  many  other  states  equally  petty, 
formal,  dull,  and  corrupt.  Accident,  indeed,  decided, 
and  not  I  ;  but  I  have  seen  no  reason  to  regret  my 
visit.  The  spectacle  of  this  small  society  macerating 
in  its  own  abuses  was  not  perhaps  instructive,  but  I  have 
found  it  exceedingly  diverting. 

The  reigning  Prince,  Otto  Johann  Friedrich,  a  young 
man  of  imperfect  education,  questionable  valour,  and 
no  scintilla  of  capacity,  has  fallen  into  entire  public  con- 
tempt. It  was  with  difficulty  that  I  obtained  an  inter- 
view, for  he  is  frequently  absent  from  a  court  where  his 
presence  is  unheeded,  and  where  his  only  role  is  to  be  a 
cloak  for  the  amours  of  his  wife.  At  last,  however,  on 
the  third  occasion  when  I  visited  the  palace,  I  found  this 
sovereign  in  the  exercise  of  his  inglorious  function,  with 
the  wife  on  one  hand  and  the  lover  on  the  other.  He  is 
not  ill-looking;  he  has  hair  of  a  ruddy  gold,  which  nat- 
urally curls,  and  his  eyes  are  dark,  a  combination  which 
I  always  regard  as  the  mark  of  some  congenital  defi- 
ciency, physical  or  moral ;  his  features  are  irregular  but 
pleasing ;  the  nose  perhaps  a  little  short,  and  the  mouth 

62 


"ON  THE  COURT  OF  GRUNEWALD" 

a  little  womanish.  His  address  is  excellent,  and  he  can 
express  himself  with  point.  But  to  pierce  below  these 
externals  is  to  come  on  a  vacuity  of  any  sterling  quality, 
a  deliquescence  of  the  moral  nature,  a  frivolity  and  in- 
consequence of  purpose  that  mark  the  nearly  perfect 
fruit  of  a  decadent  age.  He  has  a  worthless  smattering 
of  many  subjects,  but  a  grasp  of  none.  *'  I  soon  weary 
of  a  pursuit,"  he  said  to  me,  laughing;  it  would  almost 
appear  as  if  he  took  a  pride  in  his  incapacity  and  lack 
of  moral  courage.  The  results  of  his  dilettantism  are 
to  be  seen  in  every  field ;  he  is  a  bad  fencer,  a  second- 
rate  horseman,  dancer,  shot;  he  sings  —  I  have  heard 
him  —  and  he  sings  like  a  child;  he  writes  intolerable 
verses  in  more  than  doubtful  French ;  he  acts  like  the 
common  amateur;  and  in  short  there  is  no  end  to  the 
number  of  the  things  that  he  does,  and  does  badly.  His 
one  manly  taste  is  for  the  chase.  In  sum,  he  is  but  a 
plexus  of  weaknesses ;  the  singing  chambermaid  of  the 
stage,  tricked  out  in  man's  apparel  and  mounted  on  a 
circus  horse.  I  have  seen  this  poor  phantom  of  a  prince 
riding  out  alone  or  with  a  few  huntsmen,  disregarded  by 
all,  and  I  have  been  even  grieved  for  the  bearer  of  so 
futile  and  melancholy  an  existence.  The  last  Merovin- 
gians may  have  looked  not  otherwise. 

The  Princess  Amalia  Seraphina,  a  daughter  of  the 
Grand  Ducal  house  of  Toggenburg-Tannhauser,  would 
be  equally  inconsiderable  if  she  were  not  a  cutting  in- 
strument in  the  hands  of  an  ambitious  man.  She  is 
much  younger  than  the  Prince,  a  girl  of  two-and-twenty, 
sick  with  vanity,  superficially  clever,  and  fundamentally 
a  fool.  She  has  a  red-brown  rolling  eye,  too  large  for 
her  face,  and  with  sparks  of  both  levity  and  ferocity; 

63 


PRINCE  OTTO 

her  forehead  is  high  and  narrow,  her  figure  thin  and  a 
little  stooping.  Her  manners,  her  conversation,  which 
she  interlards  with  French,  her  very  tastes  and  ambi- 
tions, are  alike  assumed;  and  the  assumption  is  ungrace- 
fully apparent:  Hoyden  playing  Cleopatra.  I  should 
judge  her  to  be  incapable  of  truth.  In  private  life  a 
girl  of  this  description  embroils  the  peace  of  families, 
walks  attended  by  a  troop  of  scowling  swains,  and 
passes,  once  at  least,  through  the  divorce  court;  it  is  a 
common  and,  except  to  the  cynic,  an  uninteresting  type. 
On  the  throne,  however,  and  in  the  hands  of  a  man  like 
Gondremark,  she  may  become  the  authoress  of  serious 
public  evils. 

Gondremark,  the  true  ruler  of  this  unfortunate  coun- 
try, is  a  more  complex  study.  His  position  in  Grune- 
wald,  to  which  he  is  a  foreigner,  is  eminently  false;  and 
that  he  should  maintain  it  as  he  does,  a  very  miracle  of 
impudence  and  dexterity.  His  speech,  his  face,  his 
policy,  are  all  double :  heads  and  tails.  Which  of  the 
two  extremes  may  be  his  actual  design  he  were  a  bold 
man  who  should  offer  to  decide.  Yet  I  will  hazard  the 
guess  that  he  follows  both  experimentally,  and  awaits, 
at  the  hand  of  destiny,  one  of  those  directing  hints  of 
which  she  is  so  lavish  to  the  wise. 

On  the  one  hand,  as  Maire  de  Palais  to  the  incompe- 
tent Otto,  and  using  the  love-sick  Princess  for  a  tool 
and  mouthpiece,  he  pursues  a  policy  of  arbitrary  power 
and  territorial  aggrandisement.  He  has  called  out  the 
whole  capable  male  population  of  the  state  to  military 
service;  he  has  bought  cannon;  he  has  tempted  away 
promising  officers  from  foreign  armies ;  and  he  now  be- 
gins, in  his  international  relations,  to  assume  the  swag- 

64 


"ON   THE  COURT  OF  GRUNEWALD" 

gering  port  and  the  vague  threatful  language  of  a  bully. 
The  idea  of  extending  Grunewald  may  appear  absurd, 
but  the  little  state  is  advantageously  placed,  its  neigh- 
bours are  all  defenceless;  and  if  at  any  moment  the 
jealousies  of  the  greater  courts  should  neutralise  each 
other,  an  active  policy  might  double  the  principality  both 
in  population  and  extent.  Certainly  at  least  the  scheme 
is  entertained  in  the  court  of  Mittwalden ;  nor  do  I  my- 
self regard  it  as  entirely  desperate.  The  margravate  of 
Brandenburgh  has  grown  from  as  small  beginnings  to  a 
formidable  power;  and  though  it  is  late  in  the  day  to 
try  adventurous  policies,  and  the  age  of  war  seems 
ended.  Fortune,  we  must  not  forget,  still  blindly  turns 
her  wheel  for  men  and  nations.  Concurrently  with, 
and  tributary  to,  these  warlike  preparations,  crushing 
taxes  have  been  levied,  journals  have  been  suppressed, 
and  the  country,  which  three  years  ago  was  prosperous 
and  happy,  now  stagnates  in  a  forced  inaction,  gold  has 
become  a  curiosity,  and  the  mills  stand  idle  on  the 
mountain  streams. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  his  second  capacity  of  popular 
tribune,  Gondremark  is  the  incarnation  of  the  free  lodges, 
and  sits  at  the  centre  of  an  organised  conspiracy  against 
the  state.  To  any  such  movement  my  sympathies  were 
early  acquired,  and  I  would  not  willingly  let  fall  a  word 
that  might  embarrass  or  retard  the  revolution.  But  to 
show  that  I  speak  of  knowledge,  and  not  as  the  reporter 
of  mere  gossip,  I  may  mention  that  I  have  myself  been 
present  at  a  meeting  where  the  details  of  a  republican 
Constitution  were  minutely  debated  and  arranged;  and 
I  may  add  that  Gondremark  was  throughout  referred  to 
by  the  speakers  as  their  captain  in  action  and  the  arbiter 

65 


PRINCE  OTTO 

of  their  disputes.  He  has  taught  his  dupes  (for  so  I 
must  regard  them)  that  his  power  of  resistance  to  the 
Princess  is  limited,  and  at  each  fresh  stretch  of  authority 
persuades  them,  with  specious  reasons,  to  postpone  the 
hour  of  insurrection.  Thus  (to  give  some  instances  of 
his  astute  diplomacy)  he  salved  over  the  decree  enforc- 
ing military  service,  under  the  plea  that  to  be  well  drilled 
and  exercised  in  arms  was  even  a  necessary  preparation 
for  revolt.  And  the  other  day,  when  it  began  to  be  ru- 
moured abroad  that  a  war  was  being  forced  on  a  reluc- 
tant neighbour,  the  Grand  Duke  of  Gerolstein,  and  I 
made  sure  it  would  be  the  signal  for  an  instant  rising, 
I  was  struck  dumb  with  wonder  to  find  that  even  this 
had  been  prepared  and  was  to  be  accepted.  I  went 
from  one  to  another  in  the  Liberal  camp,  and  all  were 
in  the  same  story,  all  had  been  drilled  and  schooled  and 
fitted  out  with  vacuous  argument.  ''The  lads  had 
better  see  some  real  fighting,"  they  said;  ''and  besides, 
it  will  be  as  well  to  capture  Gerolstein :  we  can  then 
extend  to  our  neighbours  the  blessing  of  liberty  on  the 
same  day  that  we  snatch  it  for  ourselves;  and  the  re- 
public will  be  all  the  stronger  to  resist,  if  the  kings  of 
Europe  should  band  themselves  together  to  reduce  it." 
I  know  not  which  of  the  two  1  should  admire  the  more: 
the  simplicity  of  the  multitude  or  the  audacity  of  the 
adventurer.  But  such  are  the  subtleties,  such  the  quib- 
bling reasons,  with  which  he  blinds  and  leads  this  peo- 
ple. How  long  a  course  so  tortuous  can  be  pursued  with 
safety  1  am  incapable  of  guessing;  not  long,  one  would 
suppose;  and  yet  this  singular  man  has  been  treading 
the  mazes  for  five  years,  and  his  favour  at  court  and  his 
popularity  among  the  lodges  still  endure  unbroken. 

66 


''ON   THE  COURT  OF  GRUNEWALD" 

I  have  the  privilege  of  slightly  knowing  him.  Heav- 
ily and  somewhat  clumsily  built,  of  a  vast,  disjointed, 
rambling  frame,  he  can  still  pull  himself  together,  and 
figure,  not  without  admiration,  in  the  saloon  or  the 
ball-room.  His  hue  and  temperament  are  plentifully 
bilious ;  he  has  a  saturnine  eye ;  his  cheek  is  of  a  dark 
blue  where  he  has  been  shaven.  Essentially  he  is  to  be 
numbered  among  the  man-haters,  a  convinced  con- 
temner of  his  fellows.  Yet  he  is  himself  of  a  common- 
place ambition  and  greedy  of  applause.  In  talk,  he  is 
remarkable  for  a  thirst  of  information,  loving  rather  to 
hear  than  to  communicate;  for  sound  and  studious 
views ;  and,  judging  by  the  extreme  short-sightedness 
of  common  politicians,  for  a  remarkable  prevision  of 
events.  All  this,  however,  without  grace,  pleasantry, 
or  charm,  heavily  set  forth,  with  a  dull  countenance. 
In  our  numerous  conversations,  although  he  has  always 
heard  me  with  deference,  I  have  been  conscious 
throughout  of  a  sort  of  ponderous  finessing  hard  to 
tolerate.  He  produces  none  of  the  effect  of  a  gentle- 
man ;  devoid  not  merely  of  pleasantry,  but  of  all  atten- 
tion or  communicative  warmth  of  bearing.  No  gentle- 
man, besides,  would  so  parade  his  amours  with  the 
Princess ;  still  less  repay  the  Prince  for  his  long-suffer- 
ing with  a  studied  insolence  of  demeanour  and  the  fab- 
rication of  insulting  nicknames,  such  as  Prince  Feather- 
head,  which  run  from  ear  to  ear  and  create  a  laugh 
throughout  the  country.  Gondremark  has  thus  some 
of  the  clumsier  characters  of  the  self-made  man,  com- 
bined with  an  inordinate,  almost  a  besotted,  pride  of 
intellect  and  birth.  Heavy,  bilious,  selfish,  inornate,  he 
sits  upon  this  court  and  country  like  an  incubus. 

67 


PRINCE   OTTO 

But  it  is  probable  that  he  preserves  softer  gifts  for  ne- 
cessary purposes.  Indeed,  it  is  certain,  although  he 
vouchsafed  none  of  it  to  me,  that  this  cold  and  stolid 
politician  possesses  to  a  great  degree  the  art  of  ingratia- 
tion,  and  can  be  all  things  to  all  men.  Hence  there  has 
probably  sprung  up  the  idle  legend  that  in  private  life  he 
is  a  gross  romping  voluptuary.  Nothing,  at  least,  can  well 
be  more  surprising  than  the  terms  of  his  connection  with 
the  Princess.  Older  than  her  husband,  certainly  uglier, 
and,  according  to  the  feeble  ideas  common  among  wo- 
men, in  every  particular  less  pleasing,  he  has  not  only 
seized  the  complete  command  of  all  her  thought  and  ac- 
tion, but  has  imposed  on  her  in  public  a  humiliating  part. 
I  do  not  here  refer  to  the  complete  sacrifice  of  every  rag 
of  her  reputation ;  for  to  many  women  these  extremi- 
ties are  in  themselves  attractive.  But  there  is  about  the 
court  a  certain  lady  of  a  dishevelled  reputation,  a  Coun- 
tess von  Rosen,  wife  or  widow  of  a  cloudy  count,  no 
longer  in  her  second  youth  and  already  bereft  of  some 
of  her  attractions,  who  unequivocally  occupies  the  sta- 
tion of  the  Baron's  mistress.  I  had  thought,  at  first, 
that  she  was  but  a  hired  accomplice,  a  mere  blind  or 
buffer  for  the  more  important  sinner.  A  few  hours* 
acquaintance  with  Madame  von  Rosen  for  ever  dis- 
pelled the  illusion.  She  is  one  rather  to  make  than  to 
prevent  a  scandal,  and  she  values  none  of  those  bribes 
—  money,  honours,  or  employment  —  with  which  the 
situation  might  be  gilded.  Indeed,  as  a  person  frankly 
bad,  she  pleased  me,  in  the  court  of  Grunewald,  like  a 
piece  of  nature. 

The  power  of  this  man  over  the  Princess  is,  there- 
fore, without  bounds.     She  has  sacrificed  to  the  adora- 

68 


"ON   THE   COURT  OF  GRUNEWALD" 

tion  with  which  he  has  inspired  her  not  only  her  mar- 
riage vow  and  every  shred  of  public  decency,  but  that 
vice  of  jealousy  which  is  so  much  dearer  to  the  female 
sex  than  either  intrinsic  honour  or  outward  considera- 
tion. Nay,  more :  a  young,  although  not  a  very  attrac- 
tive woman,  and  a  Princess  both  by  birth  and  fact,  she 
submits  to  the  triumphant  rivalry  of  one  who  might  be 
her  mother  as  to  years,  and  who  is  so  manifestly  her 
inferior  in  station.  This  is  one  of  the  mysteries  of  the 
human  heart.  But  the  rage  of  illicit  love,  when  it  is 
once  indulged,  appears  to  grow  by  feeding;  and  to  a 
person  of  the  character  and  temperament  of  this  unfor- 
tunate young  lady,  almost  any  depth  of  degradation  is 
within  the  reach  of  possibility. 


69 


CHAPTER  III 

THE   PRINCE   AND   THE   ENGLISH   TRAVELLER 

So  far  Otto  read,  with  waxing  indignation ;  and  here 
his  fury  overflowed.  He  tossed  the  roll  upon  the  table 
and  stood  up.  "This  man,"  he  said,  "is  a  devil.  A 
filthy  imagination,  an  ear  greedy  of  evil,  a  ponderous 
malignity  of  thought  and  language :  I  grow  like  him  by 
the  reading !     Chancellor,  where  is  this  fellow  lodged  ?  " 

"He  was  committed  to  the  Flag  Tower,"  replied 
Greisengesang,  "  in  the  Gamiani  apartment." 

"Lead  me  to  him,"  said  the  Prince;  and  then  a 
thought  striking  him,  "Was  it  for  that,"  he  asked, 
"that  I  found  so  many  sentries  in  the  garden?" 

"Your  Highness,  I  am  unaware,"  answered  Greisen- 
gesang, true  to  his  policy.  "The  disposition  of  the 
guards  is  a  matter  distinct  from  my  functions." 

Otto  turned  upon  the  old  man  fiercely,  but  ere  he  had 
time  to  speak,  Gotthold  touched  him  on  the  arm.  He 
swallowed  his  wrath  with  a  great  effort.  "  It  is  well," 
he  said,  taking  the  roll.  "Follow  me  to  the  Flag 
Tower." 

The  Chancellor  gathered  himself  together,  and  the 
two  set  forward.  It  was  a  long  and  complicated  voy- 
age; for  the  library  was  in  the  wing  of  the  new  build- 
ings, and  the  tower  which  carried  the  flag  was  in  the 


THE   PRINCE  AND  THE  ENGLISH   TRAVELLER 

old  schloss  Upon  the  garden.  By  a  great  variety  of 
stairs  and  corridors,  they  came  out  at  last  upon  a  patch 
of  gravelled  court ;  the  garden  peeped  through  a  high 
grating  with  a  flash  of  green ;  tall,  old,  gabled  buildings 
mounted  on  every  side ;  the  Flag  Tower  climbed,  stage 
after  stage,  into  the  blue;  and  high  over  all,  among  the 
building  daws,  the  yellow  flag  wavered  in  the  wind. 
A  sentinel  at  the  foot  of  the  tower  stairs  presented  arms ; 
another  paced  the  first  landing ;  and  a  third  was  stationed 
before  the  door  of  the  extemporised  prison. 

"We  guard  this  mud-bag  like  a  jewel,"  Otto  sneered. 

The  Gamiani  apartment  was  so  called  from  an  Italian 
doctor  who  had  imposed  on  the  credulity  of  a  former 
prince.  The  rooms  were  large,  airy,  pleasant,  and 
looked  upon  the  garden ;  but  the  walls  were  of  great 
thickness  (for  the  tower  was  old),  and  the  windows 
were  heavily  barred.  The  Prince,  followed  by  the 
Chancellor,  still  trotting  to  keep  up  with  him,  brushed 
swiftly  through  the  little  library  and  the  long  saloon, 
and  burst  like  a  thunderbolt  into  the  bedroom  at  the 
further  end.  Sir  John  was  finishing  his  toilet;  a  man  of 
fifty,  hard,  uncompromising,  able,  with  the  eye  and 
teeth  of  physical  courage.  He  was  unmoved  by  the 
irruption,  and  bowed  with  a  sort  of  sneering  ease. 

"To  what  am  I  to  attribute  the  honour  of  this  visit ?" 
he  asked. 

"You  have  eaten  my  bread,"  replied  Otto,  "you 
have  taken  my  hand,  you  have  been  received  under  my 
roof.  When  did  I  fail  you  in  courtesy  ?  What  have 
you  asked  that  was  not  granted  as  to  an  honoured  guest  ? 
And  here,  sir,"  tapping  fiercely  on  the  manuscript,  "here 
is  your  return." 

71 


PRINCE   OTTO 

''Your  Highness  has  read  my  papers?"  said  the 
Baronet.  "I  am  honoured  indeed.  But  the  sketch  is 
most  imperfect.  I  shall  now  have  much  to  add.  I  can 
say  that  the  Prince,  whom  I  had  accused  of  idleness,  is 
zealous  in  the  department  of  police,  taking  upon  him- 
self those  duties  that  are  most  distasteful.  I  shall  be 
able  to  relate  the  burlesque  incident  of  my  arrest,  and 
the  singular  interview  with  which  you  honour  me  at 
present.  For  the  rest,  I  have  already  communicated 
with  my  Ambassador  at  Vienna;  and  unless  you  pro- 
pose to  murder  me,  I  shall  be  at  liberty,  whether  you 
please  or  not,  within  the  week.  For  I  hardly  fancy  the 
future  empire  of  Grunewald  is  yet  ripe  to  go  to  war 
with  England.  I  conceive  I  am  a  little  more  than  quits. 
I  owe  you  no  explanation ;  yours  has  been  the  wrong. 
You,  if  you  have  studied  my  writing  with  intelligence, 
owe  me  a  large  debt  of  gratitude.  And  to  conclude,  as 
I  have  not  yet  finished  my  toilet,  I  imagine  the  courtesy 
of  a  turnkey  to  a  prisoner  would  induce  you  to  with- 
draw." 

There  was  some  paper  on  the  table,  and  Otto,  sitting 
down,  wrote  a  passport  in  the  name  of  Sir  John  Crab- 
tree. 

**  Affix  the  seal,  Herr  Cancellarius,"  he  said,  in  his 
most  princely  manner,  as  he  rose. 

Greisengesang  produced  a  red  portfolio,  and  affixed 
the  seal  in  the  unpoetic  guise  of  an  adhesive  stamp; 
nor  did  his  perturbed  and  clumsy  movements  at  all 
lessen  the  comedy  of  the  performance.  Sir  John  looked 
on  with  a  malign  enjoyment;  and  Otto  chafed,  regret- 
ting, when  too  late,  the  unnecessary  royalty  of  his  com- 
mand and  gesture.     But  at  length  the  Chancellor  had 

72 


THE   PRINCE  AND  THE  ENGLISH   TRAVELLER 

finished  his  piece  of  prestidigitation,  and,  without  wait- 
ing for  an  order,  had  countersigned  the  passport.  Thus 
regularised,  he  returned  it  to  Otto  with  a  bow. 

"You  will  now,"  said  the  Prince,  ''order  one  of  my 
own  carriages  to  be  prepared ;  see  it,  with  your  own 
eyes,  charged  with  Sir  John's  effects,  and  have  it  wait- 
ing within  the  hour  behind  the  Pheasant  House.  Sir 
John  departs  this  morning  for  Vienna." 

The  Chancellor  took  his  elaborate  departure. 

"Here,  sir,  is  your  passport,"  said  Otto,  turning  to 
the  Baronet.  "I  regret  it  from  my  heart  that  you  have 
met  inhospitable  usage." 

"Well,  there  will  be  no  English  war,"  returned  Sir 
John. 

"Nay,  sir,"  said  Otto,  "you  surely  owe  me  your  ci- 
vility. Matters  are  now  changed,  and  we  stand  again 
upon  the  footing  of  two  gentlemen.  It  was  not  I  who 
ordered  your  arrest;  I  returned  late  last  night  from 
hunting;  and  as  you  cannot  blame  me  for  your  impris- 
onment, you  may  even  thank  me  for  your  freedom." 

"And  yet  you  read  my  papers,"  said  the  traveller, 
shrewdly. 

"There,  sir,  I  was  wrong,"  returned  Otto;  "and  for 
that  I  ask  your  pardon.  You  can  scarce  refuse  it,  for 
your  own  dignity,  to  one  who  is  a  plexus  of  weaknesses. 
Nor  was  the  fault  entirely  mine.  Had  the  papers  been 
innocent,  it  would  have  been  at  most  an  indiscretion. 
Your  own  guilt  is  the  sting  of  my  offence." 

Sir  John  regarded  Otto  with  an  approving  twinkle; 
then  he  bowed,  but  still  in  silence. 

"Well,  sir,  as  you  are  now  at  your  entire  disposal,  I 
have  a  favour  to  beg  of  your  indulgence,"  continued  the 

73 


PRINCE  OTTO 

Prince.  '*  I  have  to  request  that  you  will  walk  with  me 
alone  into  the  garden  so  soon  as  your  convenience  per- 
mits." 

"From  the  moment  that  I  am  a  free  man,"  Sir  John 
replied,  this  time  with  perfect  courtesy,  "I  am  wholly 
at  your  Highness's  command;  and  if  you  will  excuse  a 
rather  summary  toilet,  I  will  even  follow  you  as  I  am." 

'*!  thank  you,  sir,"  said  Otto. 

So  without  more  delay,  the  Prince  leading,  the  pair 
proceeded  down  through  the  echoing  stairway  of  the 
tower,  and  out  through  the  grating,  into  the  ample  air 
and  sunshine  of  the  morning,  and  among  the  terraces 
and  flower-beds  of  the  garden.  They  crossed  the  fish- 
pond, where  the  carp  were  leaping  as  thick  as  bees ;  they 
mounted,  one  after  another,  the  various  flights  of  stairs, 
snowed  upon,  as  they  went,  with  April  blossoms,  and 
marching  in  time  to  the  great  orchestra  of  birds.  Nor 
did  Otto  pause  till  they  had  reached  the  highest  terrace 
of  the  garden.  Here  was  a  gate  into  the  park,  and  hard 
by,  under  a  tuft  of  laurel,  a  marble  garden  seat.  Hence 
they  looked  down  on  the  green  tops  of  many  elm-trees, 
where  the  rooks  were  busy ;  and,  beyond  that,  upon  the 
palace  roof,  and  the  yellow  banner  flying  in  the  blue. 
"I  pray  you  to  be  seated,  sir,"  said  Otto. 

Sir  John  complied  without  a  word ;  and  for  some  sec- 
onds Otto  walked  to  and  fro  before  him,  plunged  in 
angry  thought.    The  birds  were  all  singing  for  a  wager. 

"Sir,"  said  the  Prince  at  length,  turning  towards  the 
Englishman,  "you  are  to  me,  except  by  the  conven- 
tions of  society,  a  perfect  stranger.  Of  your  character 
and  wishes  I  am  ignorant.  I  have  never  wittingly  dis- 
obliged you.     There  is  a  difference  in  station,  which  J 

74 


THE   PRINCE  AND  THE  ENGLISH   TRAVELLER 

desire  to  waive.  I  would,  if  you  still  think  me  entitled 
to  so  much  consideration  —  I  would  be  regarded  simply 
as  a  gentleman.  Now,  sir,  I  did  wrong  to  glance  at 
these  papers,  which  I  here  return  to  you;  but  if  curios- 
ity be  undignified,  as  I  am  free  to  own,  falsehood  is  both 
cowardly  and  cruel.  I  opened  your  roll;  and  what  did 
I  find  —  what  did  I  find  about  my  wife.?  Lies!"  he 
broke  out.  "They  are  lies!  There  are  not,  so  help  me 
God !  four  words  of  truth  in  your  intolerable  libel !  You 
are  a  man;  you  are  old,  and  might  be  the  girl's  father; 
you  are  a  gentleman  ;  you  are  a  scholar,  and  have 
learned  refinement;  and  you  rake  together  all  this  vul- 
gar scandal,  and  propose  to  print  it  in  a  public  book! 
Such  is  your  chivalry!  But,  thank  God,  sir,  she  has 
still  a  husband.  You  say,  sir,  in  that  paper  in  your  hand, 
that  I  am  a  bad  fencer;  I  have  to  request  from  you  a  les- 
son in  the  art.  The  park  is  close  behind;  yonder  is  the 
Pheasant  House,  where  you  will  find  your  carriage; 
should  I  fall,  you  know,  sir — you  have  written  it  in  your 
paper  —  how  little  my  movements  are  regarded ;  I  am  in 
the  custom  of  disappearing;  it  will  be  one  more  disap- 
pearance, and  long  before  it  has  awakened  a  remark, 
you  may  be  safe  across  the  border." 

"You  will  observe,"  said  Sir  John,  "that  what  you 
ask  is  impossible." 

"And  if  I  struck  you  ?"  cried  the  Prince,  with  a  sud- 
den menacing  flash. 

"  It  would  be  a  cowardly  blow,"  returned  the  Baro- 
net, unmoved,  "for  it  would  make  no  change.  I  can- 
not draw  upon  a  reigning  sovereign." 

"And  it  is  this  man,  to  whom  you  dare  not  offer  sat- 
isfaction, that  you  choose  to  insult !  "  cried  Otto. 

75 


PRINCE  OTTO 

"Pardon  me,"  said  the  traveller,  "you  are  unjust. 
It  is  because  you  are  a  reigning  sovereign  that  I  cannot 
fight  with  you;  and  it  is  for  the  same  reason  that  I  have 
a  right  to  criticise  your  action  and  your  wife.  You  are 
in  everything  a  public  creature;  you  belong  to  the  pub- 
lic, body  and  bone.  You  have  with  you  the  law,  the 
muskets  of  the  army,  and  the  eyes  of  spies.  We,  on 
our  side,  have  but  one  weapon  —  truth." 

"Truth!"  echoed  the  Prince,  with  a  gesture. 

There  was  another  silence. 

"Your  Highness,"  said  Sir  John  at  last,  "you  must 
not  expect  grapes  from  a  thistle.  I  am  old  and  a  cynic. 
Nobody  cares  a  rush  for  me;  and  on  the  whole,  after 
the  present  interview,  I  s-carce  know  anybody  that  I 
like  better  than  yourself.  You  see,  I  have  changed  my 
mind,  and  have  the  uncommon  virtue  to  avow  the 
change.  I  tear  up  this  stuff  before  you,  here  in  your 
own  garden ;  I  ask  your  pardon,  I  ask  the  pardon  of  the 
Princess ;  and  I  give  you  my  word  of  honour  as  a  gen 
tleman  and  an  old  man,  that  when  my  book  of  travels 
shall  appear  it  shall  not  contain  so  much  as  the  name  of 
Grunewald.  And  yet  it  was  a  racy  chapter!  But  had 
your  Highness  only  read  about  the  other  courts!  I  am 
a  carrion  crow ;  but  it  is  not  my  fault,  after  all,  that  the 
world  is  such  a  nauseous  kennel." 

"Sir,"  said  Otto,  "is  the  eye  not  jaundiced.?" 

"Nay,"  cried  the  traveller,  "very  likely.  I  am  one 
who  goes  sniffing;  I  am  no  poet.  I  believe  in  a  better 
future  for  the  world ;  or,  at  all  accounts,  I  do  most  po- 
tently disbelieve  in  the  present.  Rotten  eggs  is  the 
burthen  of  my  song.  But  indeed,  your  Highness,  when 
I  meet  with  any  merit,  I  do  not  think  that  I  am  slow 
.     76 


THE  PRINCE  AND  THE  ENGLISH   TRAVELLER 

to  recognise  it.  This  is  a  day  that  I  shall  still  recall 
with  gratitude,  for  I  have  found  a  sovereign  with  some 
manly  virtues;  and  for  once  —  old  courtier  and  old  radi- 
cal as  I  am  —  it  is  from  the  heart  and  quite  sincerely  that 
I  can  request  the  honour  of  kissing  your  Highness's 
hand?" 

*'Nay,  sir,"  said  Otto,  *no  my  heart!" 

And  the  Englishman,  taken  at  unawares,  was  clasped 
for  a  moment  in  the  Prince's  arms. 

**  And  now,  sir,"  added  Otto,  "there  is  the  Pheasant 
House;  close  behind  it  you  will  find  my  carriage,  which 
I  pray  you  to  accept.     God  speed  you  to  Vienna! " 

*' In  the  impetuosity  of  youth,"  replied  Sir  John,  "your 
Highness  has  overlooked  one  circumstance.  I  am  still 
fasting." 

"Well,  sir,"  said  Otto,  smiling,  "you  are  your  own 
master;  you  may  go  or  stay.  But  I  warn  you,  your 
friend  may  prove  less  powerful  than  your  enemies.  The 
Prince,  indeed,  is  thoroughly  on  your  side;  he  has  all 
the  will  to  help;  but  to  whom  do  I  speak  ? — you  know 
better  than  I  do,  he  is  not  alone  in  Grunewald." 

"There  is  a  deal  in  position,"  returned  the  traveller, 
gravely  nodding.  "Gondremark  loves  to  temporise; 
his  policy  is  below  ground,  and  he  fears  all  open  courses ; 
and  now  that  I  have  seen  you  act  with  so  much  spirit, 
I  will  cheerfully  risk  myself  on  your  protection.  Who 
knows  ?    You  may  be  yet  the  better  man." 

"Do  you  indeed  believe  so?"  cried  the  Prince.  "You 
put  life  into  my  heart! " 

"I  will  give  up  sketching  portraits,"  said  the  Baronet. 
"  I  am  a  blind  owl;  I  had  misread  you  strangely.  And 
yet  remember  this;  a  sprint  is  one  thing,  and  to  run  all 

77 


PRINCE  OTTO 

day  another.  For  I  still  mistrust  your  constitution;  the 
short  nose,  the  hair  and  eyes  of  several  complexions; 
no,  they  are  diagnostic;  and  I  must  end,  I  see,  as  I  be- 
gan." 

*' I  am  still  a  singing  chambermaid.^"  said  Otto. 

"Nay,  your  Highness,  I  pray  you  to  forget  what  I  had 
written,"  said  Sir  John;  "I  am  not  like  Pilate;  and  the 
chapter  is  no  more.     Bury  it,  if  you  love  me." 


CHAPTER  IV 

WHILE  THE  PRINCE   IS   IN   THE   ANTE-ROOM  .    .   . 

Greatly  comforted  by  the  exploits  of  the  morning, 
the  Prince  turned  towards  the  Princess's  ante-room,  bent 
on  a  more  difficult  enterprise.  The  curtains  rose  before 
him,  the  usher  called  his  name,  and  he  entered  the  room 
with  an  exaggeration  of  his  usual  mincing  and  airy  dig- 
nity. There  were  about  a  score  of  persons  waiting, 
principally  ladies ;  it  was  one  of  the  few  societies  in 
Grunewald  where  Otto  knew  himself  to  be  popular; 
and  while  a  maid  of  honour  made  her  exit  by  a  side 
door  to  announce  his  arrival  to  the  Princess,  he  moved 
round  the  apartment,  collecting  homage  and  bestowing 
compliments,  with  friendly  grace.  Had  this  been  the 
sum  of  his  duties,  he  had  been  an  admirable  monarch. 
Lady  after  lady  was  impartially  honoured  by  his  atten- 
tion. 

*'  Madam,"  he  said  to  one,  '*  how  does  this  happen  ? 
I  fmd  you  daily  more  adorable." 

''And  your  Highness  daily  browner,"  replied  the 
lady.  ''We  began  equal;  O,  there  I  will  be  bold:  we 
have  both  beautiful  complexions.  But  while  I  study 
mine,  your  Highness  tans  himself." 

'*A  perfect  negro,  madam;  and  what  so  fitly  — 
being  beauty's  slave  ?  "  said  Otto.    ' '  Madame  Grafmski, 

79 


PRINCE  OTTO 

when  is  our  next  play  ?    I  have  just  heard  that  I  am 
a  bad  actor." 

"■  O  del !  ' '  cried  Madame  Grafinski.  *  *  Who  could 
venture  ?    What  a  bear!  " 

"An  excellent  man,  I  can  assure  you,"  returned  Otto. 

"O,  never!  O,  is  it  possible!"  fluted  the  lady. 
**  Your  Highness  plays  like  an  angel." 

'*  You  must  be  right,  madam ;  who  could  speak  falsely 
and  yet  look  so  charming  }  "  said  the  Prince.  "But  this 
gentleman,  it  seems,  would  have  preferred  me  playing 
like  an  actor." 

A  sort  of  hum,  a  falsetto,  feminine  cooing,  greeted  the 
tiny  sally;  and  Otto  expanded  like  a  peacock.  This 
warm  atmosphere  of  women  and  flattery  and  idle  chat- 
ter pleased  him  to  the  marrow. 

"Madame  von  Eisenthal,  your  coiffure  is  delicious," 
he  remarked. 

"  Every  one  was  saying  so,"  said  one. 

"  If  I  have  pleased  Prince  Charming  }  "  And  Madame 
von  Eisenthal  swept  him  a  deep  curtsey  with  a  killing 
glance  of  adoration. 

"It  is  new.^"  he  asked.     "Vienna  fashion." 

"Mint  new,"  replied  the  lady,  "for  your  Highness's 
return.  I  felt  young  this  morning ;  it  was  a  premoni- 
tion.    But  why,  Prince,  do  you  ever  leave  us  .^" 

"For  the  pleasure  of  the  return,"  said  Otto.  " I  am 
like  a  dog;  I  must  bury  my  bone,  and  then  come  back 
to  gloat  upon  it." 

"O,  a  bone!  Fie,  what  a  comparison!  You  have  brought 
back  the  manners  of  the  wood,"  returned  the  lady. 

"Madam,  it  is  what  the  dog  has  dearest,"  said  the 
Prince.     "  But  I  observe  Madame  von  Rosen." 

80 


WHILE  THE   PRINCE  IS  IN   THE  ANTE-ROOM   .    .    . 

And  Otto,  leaving  the  group  to  which  he  had  been 
piping,  stepped  towards  the  embrasure  of  a  window 
where  a  lady  stood. 

The  Countess  von  Rosen  had  hitherto  been  silent,  and 
a  thought  depressed,  but  on  the  approach  of  Otto  she 
began  to  brighten.  She  was  tall,  slim  as  a  nymph,  and 
of  a  very  airy  carriage;  and  her  face,  which  was  already 
beautiful  in  repose,  lightened  and  changed,  flashed  into 
smiles,  and  glowed  with  lovely  colour  at  the  touch  of 
animation.  She  was  a  good  vocalist;  and,  even  in 
speech,  her  voice  commanded  a  great  range  of  changes, 
the  low  notes  rich  with  tenor  quality,  the  upper  ringing, 
on  the  brink  of  laughter,  into  music.  A  gem  of  many 
facets  and  variable  hues  of  fire;  a  woman  who  withheld 
the  better  portion  of  her  beauty,  and  then,  in  a  caressing 
second,  flashed  it  like  a  weapon  full  on  the  beholder; 
now  merely  a  tall  figure  and  a  sallow  handsome  face, 
with  the  evidences  of  a  reckless  temper;  anon  opening 
like  a  flower  to  life  and  colour,  mirth  and  tenderness : — 
Madame  von  Rosen  had  always  a  dagger  in  reserve  for 
the  despatch  of  ill-assured  admirers.  She  met  Otto  with 
the  dart  of  tender  gaiety. 

"You  have  come  to  me  at  last.  Prince  Cruel,"  she 
said.  ''Butterfly!  Well,  and  am  I  not  to  kiss  your 
hand  ?  "  she  added. 

**  Madam,  it  is  I  who  must  kiss  yours."  And  Otto 
bowed  and  kissed  it. 

**  You  deny  me  every  indulgence,"  she  said,  smiling. 

"And  now  what  news  in  Court?"  inquired  the 
Prince.     "I  come  to  you  for  my  gazette." 

"Ditch-water!"  she  replied.  "The  world  is  all 
asleep,  grown  grey  in  slumber;  I  do  not  remember  any 

8i 


PRINCE   OTTO 

waking  movement  since  quite  an  eternity;  and  the  last 
thing  in  the  nature  of  a  sensation  was  the  last  time  my 
governess  was  allowed  to  box  my  ears.  But  yet  I  do 
myself  and  your  unfortunate  enchanted  palace  some  in- 
justice. Here  is  the  last — O  positively!"  And  she 
told  him  the  story  from  behind  her  fan,  with  many 
glances,  many  cunning  strokes  of  the  narrator's  art. 
The  others  had  drawn  away,  for  it  was  understood  that 
Madame  von  Rosen  was  in  favour  with  the  Prince.  None 
the  less,  however,  did  the  Countess  lower  her  voice  at 
times  to  within  a  semitone  of  whispering;  and  the  pair 
leaned  together  over  the  narrative. 

"Do  you  know,"  said  Otto,  laughing,  "you  are  the 
only  entertaining  woman  on  this  earth ! " 

"O,  you  have  found  out  so  much,"  she  cried. 

"Yes,  madam,  I  grow  wiser  with  advancing  years," 
he  returned. 

"Years!"  she  repeated.  "Do  you  name  the  trai- 
tors ?  I  do  not  believe  in  years ;  the  calendar  is  a  delu- 
sion." 

"You  must  be  right,  madam,"  replied  the  Prince. 
"  For  six  years  that  we  have  been  good  friends,  I  have 
observed  you  to  grow  younger." 

"Flatterer! "  cried  she,  and  then  with  a  change,  "  But 
why  should  I  say  so,"  she  added,  "when  I  protest  I 
think  the  same  ?  A  week  ago  1  had  a  council  with  my 
Father  Director,  the  glass ;  and  the  glass  replied,  '  Not 
yet !  *  I  confess  my  face  in  this  way  once  a  month.  O ! 
a  very  solemn  moment.  Do  you  know  what  I  shall  do 
when  the  mirror  answers,  '  Now  ? '  " 

"  I  cannot  guess,"  said  he. 

"No  more  can  I,"  returned  the  Countess.     "There 

83 


WHILE  THE   PRINCE   IS  IN   THE  ANTE-ROOM   .   .    . 

is  such  a  choice!  Suicide,  gambling,  a  nunnery,  a  vol- 
ume of  memoirs,  or  politics  —  the  last,  I  am  afraid. " 

"  It  is  a  dull  trade,"  said  Otto. 

"Nay,"  she  replied,  "it  is  a  trade  I  rather  like.  It 
is,  after  all,  first  cousin  to  gossip,  which  no  one  can 
deny  to  be  amusing.  For  instance,  if  I  were  to  tell  you 
that  the  Princess  and  the  Baron  rode  out  together  daily 
to  inspect  the  cannon,  it  is  either  a  piece  of  politics  or 
scandal,  as  I  turn  my  phrase.  I  am  the  alchemist  that 
makes  the  transmutation.  They  have  been  everywhere 
together  since  you  left,"  she  continued,  brightening  as 
she  saw  Otto  darken;  "  that  is  a  poor  snippet  of  mali- 
cious gossip  —  and  they  were  everywhere  cheered  — 
and  with  that  addition  all  becomes  political  intelligence." 

"  Let  us  change  the  subject,"  said  Otto. 

"  I  was  about  to  propose  it,"  she  replied,  "  or  rather 
to  pursue  the  politics.  Do  you  know  ?  this  war  is  pop- 
ular —  popular  to  the  length  of  cheering  Princess  Ser- 
aphina." 

"All  things,  madam,  are  possible,"  said  the  Prince; 
"and  this  among  others,  that  we  may  be  going  into 
war,  but  I  give  you  my  word  of  honour  I  do  not  know 
with  whom." 

"  And  you  put  up  with  it  ?"  she  cried.  "  I  have  no 
pretensions  to  morality;  and  I  confess  I  have  always 
abominated  the  lamb,  and  nourished  a  romantic  feeling 
for  the  wolf.  O,  be  done  with  lambiness !  Let  us  see 
there  is  a  prince,  for  I  am  weary  of  the  distaff." 

"Madam,"  said  Otto,  "I  thought  you  were  of  that 
faction." 

"  I  should  be  of  yours,  mon  Prince,  if  you  had  one," 
she  retorted.     "Is  it  true  that  you  have  no  ambition ? 


PRINCE  OTTO 

There  was  a  man  once  in  England  whom  they  call  the 
kingmaker.  Do  you  know,"  she  added,  "I  fancy  I 
could  make  a  prince  ?" 

''  Some  day,  madam,"  said  Otto,  *'  I  may  ask  you  to 
help  make  a  farmer." 

**  Is  that  a  riddle  ?"  asked  the  Countess. 

"It  is,"  replied  the  Prince,  ''and  a  very  good  one 
too." 

"  Tit  for  tat.  I  will  ask  you  another,"  she  returned. 
"  Where  is  Gondremark  ?  " 

''The  Prime  Minister.?  In  the  prime-ministry,  no 
doubt,"  said  Otto. 

"Precisely,"  said  the  Countess;  and  she  pointed 
with  her  fan  to  the  door  of  the  Princess's  apartments. 
"  You  and  I,  mon  Prince,  are  in  the  ante-room.  You 
think  me  unkind,"  she  added.  "  Try  me  and  you  will 
see.  Set  me  a  task,  put  me  a  question;  there  is  no 
enormity  I  am  not  capable  of  doing  to  oblige  you,  and 
no  secret  that  I  am  not  ready  to  betray." 

"Nay,  madam,  but  I  respect  my  friend  too  much," 
he  answered,  kissing  her  hand.  "  I  would  rather  re- 
main ignorant  of  all.  We  fraternise  like  foemen  soldiers 
at  the  outposts,  but  let  each  be  true  to  his  own  army." 

"Ah,"  she  cried,  "if  all  men  were  generous  like 
you,  it  would  be  worth  while  to  be  a  woman !  "  Yet, 
judging  by  her  looks,  his  generosity,  if  anything,  had 
disappointed  her;  she  seemed  to  seek  a  remedy,  and, 
having  found  it,  brightened  once  more.  "  And  now," 
she  said,  "  may  I  dismiss  my  sovereign?  This  is  rebel- 
lion and  a  cos  pendahle ;  but  what  am  I  to  do .?  My 
bear  is  jealous!" 

"Madam,  enough  !  "  cried  Otto.  "  Ahasuerus  reaches 
84 


WHILE  THE  PRINCE   IS  IN   THE  ANTE-ROOM  ;    .    . 

you  the  sceptre ;  more,  he  will  obey  you  in  all  points. 
I  should  have  been  a  dog  to  come  to  whistling." 

And  so  the  Prince  departed,  and  fluttered  round 
Grafinski  and  von  Eisenthal.  But  the  Countess  knew 
the  use  of  her  offensive  weapons,  and  had  left  a  pleas- 
ant arrow  in  the  Prince's  heart.  That  Gondremark 
was  jealous  —  here  was  an  agreeable  revenge!  And 
Madame  von  Rosen,  as  the  occasion  of  the  jealousy, 
appeared  to  him  in  a  new  light. 


»j 


CHAPTER  V 

.   .   .    GONDREMARK   IS    IN    MY  LADY'S  CHAMBER 

The  Countess  von  Rosen  spoke  the  truth.  The  great 
Prime  Minister  of  Grunewald  was  already  closeted  with 
Seraphina.  The  toilet  was  over;  and  the  Princess, 
tastefully  arrayed,  sat  face  to  face  with  a  tall  mirror. 
Sir  John's  description  was  unkindly  true,  true  in  terms 
and  yet  a  libel,  a  misogynistic  masterpiece.  Her  fore- 
head was  perhaps  too  high,  but  it  became  her;  her  fig- 
ure somewhat  stooped,  but  every  detail  was  formed 
and  finished  like  a  gem;  her  hand,  her  foot,  her  ear, 
the  set  of  her  comely  head,  were  all  dainty  and  accord- 
ant; if  she  was  not  beautiful,  she  was  vivid,  changeful, 
coloured,  and  pretty  with  a  thousand  various  pretti- 
nesses;  and  her  eyes,  if  they  indeed  rolled  too  con- 
sciously, yet  rolled  to  purpose.  They  were  her  most 
attractive  feature,  yet  they  continually  bore  eloquent 
false  witness  to  her  thoughts ;  for  while  she  herself,  in 
the  depths  of  her  immature,  unsoftened  heart,  was 
given  altogether  to  manlike  ambition  and  the  desire  of 
power,  the  eyes  were  by  turns  bold,  inviting,  fiery, 
melting,  and  artful,  like  the  eyes  of  a  rapacious  syren. 
And  artful,  in  a  sense,  she  was.  Chafing  that  she  was 
not  a  man  and  could  not  shine  by  action,  she  had  con- 
ceived a  woman's  part,  of  answerable  domination ;  she 

86 


.   .    .    GONDREMARK   IS   IN   MY   LADY'S   CHAMBER 

sought  to  subjugate  for  by-ends,  to  rain  influence  and 
be  fancy  free;  and  while  she  loved  not  man,  loved  to  see 
man  obey  her.  It  is  a  common  girl's  ambition.  Such 
was  perhaps  that  lady  of  the  glove,  who  sent  her  lover 
to  the  lions.  But  the  snare  is  laid  alike  for  male  and 
female,  and  the  world  most  artfully  contrived. 

Near  her,  in  a  low  chair,  Gondremark  had  arranged 
his  limbs  into  a  cat-like  attitude,  high-shouldered,  stoop- 
ing, and  submiss.  The  formidable  blue  jowl  of  the 
man,  and  the  dull  bilious  eye,  set  perhaps  a  higher  value 
on  his  evident  desire  to  please.  His  face  was  marked 
by  capacity,  temper,  and  a  kind  of  bold,  piratical  dis- 
honesty which  it  would  be  calumnious  to  call  deceit. 
His  manners,  as  he  smiled  upon  the  Princess,  were 
overfme,  yet  hardly  elegant. 

"Possibly,"  said  the  Baron,  "I  should  now  proceed 
to  take  my  leave.  I  must  not  keep  my  sovereign  in  the 
ante-room.     Let  us  come  at  once  to  a  decision." 

*'It  cannot,  cannot  be  put  off.?"  she  asked. 

*'It  is  impossible,"  answered  Gondremark.  **Your 
Highness  sees  it  for  herself.  In  the  earlier  stages,  we 
might  imitate  the  serpent ;  but  for  the  ultimatum,  there 
is  no  choice  but  to  be  bold  like  lions.  Had  the  Prince 
chosen  to  remain  away,  it  had  been  better;  but  we  have 
gone  too  far  forward  to  delay." 

"What  can  have  brought  him.^"  she  cried.  "To- 
day of  all  days  ?  " 

"The  marplot,  madam,  has  the  instinct  of  his  na- 
ture, "  returned  Gondremark.  ' '  But  you  exaggerate  the 
peril.  Think,  madam,  how  far  we  have  prospered,  and 
against  what  odds !  Shall  a  Featherhead  .^  —  but  no!" 
And  he  blew  upon  his  fingers  lightly  with  a  laugh. 

87 


PRINCE  OTTO 

*'Featherhead,"  she  replied,  "is  still  the  Prince  of 
Grunewald." 

''On  your  sufferance  only,  and  so  long  as  you  shall 
please  to  be  indulgent,"  said  the  Baron.  "There  are 
rights  of  nature ;  power  to  the  powerful  is  the  law.  If 
he  shall  think  to  cross  your  destiny  —  well,  you  have 
heard  of  the  brazen  and  the  earthen  pot." 

"Do  you  call  me  pot.?  You  are  ungallant,  Baron," 
laughed  the  Princess. 

"Before  we  are  done  with  your  glory,  I  shall  have 
called  you  by  many  different  titles,"  he  replied. 

The  girl  flushed  with  pleasure.  "  But  Frederic  is 
still  the  Prince,  Monsieur  le  Flatteur, ' '  she  said.  ' '  You 
do  not  propose  a  revolution  .?  —  you  of  all  men  ?" 

"Dear  madam,  when  it  is  already  made!"  he  cried. 
"The  Prince  reigns  indeed  in  the  almanack;  but  my 
Princess  reigns  and  rules."  And  he  looked  at  her  with 
a  fond  admiration  that  made  the  heart  of  Seraphina 
swell.  Looking  on  her  huge  slave,  she  drank  the  in- 
toxicating joys  of  power.  Meanwhile  he  continued, 
with  that  sort  of  massive  archness  that  so  ill  became 
him,  "She  has  but  one  fault;  there  is  but  one  danger  in 
the  great  career  that  1  foresee  for  her.  May  I  name  it } 
may  I  be  so  irreverent  ?  It  is  in  herself —  her  heart  is 
soft." 

"Her  courage  is  faint.  Baron,"  said  the  Princess. 
"Suppose  we  have  judged  ill,  suppose  we  were  de- 
feated }  " 

"Defeated,  madam?"  returned  the  Baron,  with  a 
touch  of  ill  humour.  "  Is  the  dog  defeated  by  the  hare  ? 
Our  troops  are  all  cantoned  along  the  frontier;  in  five 
hours  the  vanguard  of  five  thousand  bayonets  shall  be 

88 


.   .    .   GONDREMARK   IS  IN   MY   LADY'S  CHAMBER 

hammering  on  the  gates  of  Brandenau;  and  in  all  Gerol- 
stein  there  are  not  fifteen  hundred  men  who  can  ma- 
noeuvre. It  is  as  simple  as  a  sum.  There  can  be  no 
resistance." 

"  It  is  no  great  exploit, "  she  said.  * '  Is  that  what  you 
call  glory  .^     It  is  like  beating  a  child." 

**The  courage,  madam,  is  diplomatic,"  he  replied. 
**  We  take  a  grave  step;  we  fix  the  eyes  of  Europe,  for 
the  first  time,  on  Grunewald;  and  in  the  negotiations  of 
the  next  three  months,  mark  me,  we  stand  or  fall.  It 
is  there,  madam,  that  I  shall  have  to  depend  upon  your 
counsels,"  he  added,  almost  gloomily.  *'If  I  had  not 
seen  you  at  work,  if  I  did  not  know  the  fertility  of  your 
mind,  I  own  I  should  tremble  for  the  consequence. 
But  it  is  in  this  field  that  men  must  recognise  their  in- 
ability. All  the  great  negotiators,  when  they  have  not 
been  women,  have  had  women  at  their  elbows.  Ma- 
dame de  Pompadour  was  ill  served ;  she  had  not  found 
her  Gondremark ;  but  what  a  mighty  politician !  Cath- 
erine de  Medici,  too,  what  justice  of  sight,  what  readi- 
ness of  means,  what  elasticity  against  defeat!  But 
alas!  madam,  her  Featherheads  were  her  own  children; 
and  she  had  that  one  touch  of  vulgarity,  that  one  trait 
of  the  good-wife,  that  she  suffered  family  ties  and  affec- 
tions to  confine  her  liberty." 

These  singular  views  of  history,  strictly  ad  usum 
Seraphince,  did  not  weave  their  usual  soothing  spell 
over  the  Princess.  It  was  plain  that  she  had  taken  a 
momentary  distaste  to  her  own  resolutions;  for  she 
continued  to  oppose  her  counsellor,  looking  upon  him 
out  of  half-closed  eyes  and  with  the  shadow  of  a  sneer 
upon  her  lips.    '  *  What  boys  men  are !  "  she  said ;  '  *  what 

89 


PRINCE  OTTO 

lovers  of  big  words!  Courage,  indeed!  If  you  had  to 
scour  pans,  Herr  von  Gondremark,  you  would  call  it,  I 
suppose,  Domestic  Courage  ?  " 

**I  would,  madam,"  said  the  Baron,  stoutly,  *'if  I 
scoured  them  well.  I  would  put  a  good  name  upon  a 
virtue;  you  will  not  overdo  it;  they  are  not  so  enchant- 
ing in  themselves." 

''Well,  but  let  me  see,"  she  said.  "I  wish  to  un- 
derstand your  courage.  Why,  we  asked  leave,  like 
children!  Our  grannie  in  Berlin,  our  uncle  in  Vienna, 
the  whole  family,  have  patted  us  on  the  head  and  sent 
us  forward.     Courage  ?     1  wonder  when  I  hear  you!  " 

**My  Princess  is  unlike  herself,"  returned  the  Baron. 
"She  has  forgotten  where  the  peril  lies.  True,  we 
have  received  encouragement  on  every  hand ;  but  my 
Princess  knows  too  well  on  what  untenable  conditions; 
and  she  knows  besides  how,  in  the  publicity  of  the  diet, 
these  whispered  conferences  are  forgotten  and  dis- 
owned. The  danger  is  very  real  " —  he  raged  inwardly 
at  having  to  blow  the  very  coal  he  had  been  quenching 
—  ''none  the  less  real  in  that  it  is  not  precisely  mili- 
tary, but  for  that  reason  the  easier  to  be  faced.  Had 
we  to  count  upon  your  troops,  although  I  share  your 
Highness's  expectations  of  the  conduct  of  Alvenau,  we 
cannot  forget  that  he  has  not  been  proved  in  chief  com- 
mand. But  where  negotiation  is  concerned,  the  con- 
duct lies  with  us;  and  with  your  help,  I  laugh  at  dan- 
ger." 

"  It  may  be  so,"  said  Seraphina,  sighing.  "  It  is  else- 
where that  I  see  danger.  The  people,  these  abomi- 
nable people  —  suppose  they  should  instantly  rebel? 
What  a  figure  we  should  make  in  the  eyes  of  Europe  to 

90 


.    .    .    GONDREMARK  IS   IN   MY   LADY'S  CHAMBER 

have  undertaken  an  invasion  while  my  own  throne  was 
tottering  to  its  fall!" 

*'Nay,  madam,"  said  Gondremark,  smiling,  "here 
you  are  beneath  yourself.  What  is  it  that  feeds  their 
discontent  ?  What  but  the  taxes  ?  Once  we  have  seized 
Gerolstein,  the  taxes  are  remitted,  the  sons  return  cov- 
ered with  renown,  the  houses  are  adorned  with  pillage, 
each  tastes  his  little  share  of  military  glory,  and  behold 
us  once  again  a  happy  family!  *  Ay,'  they  will  say,  in 
each  other's  long  ears,  'the  Princess  knew  what  she 
was  about;  she  was  in  the  right  of  it;  she  has  a  head 
upon  her  shoulders;  and  here  we  are,  you  see,  better 
off  than  before.'  But  why  should  I  say  all  this  ?  It  is 
what  my  Princess  pointed  out  to  me  herself;  it  was  by 
these  reasons  that  she  converted  me  to  this  adventure." 

'M  think,  Herr  von  Gondremark,"  said  Seraphina, 
somewhat  tartly,  **  you  often  attribute  your  own  sagac- 
ity to  your  Princess." 

For  a  second  Gondremark  staggered  under  the  shrewd- 
ness of  the  attack ;  the  next,  he  had  perfectly  recovered. 
*'Do  l.^"  he  said.  "It  is  very  possible.  I  have  ob- 
served a  similar  tendency  in  your  Highness." 

It  was  so  openly  spoken,  and  appeared  so  just,  that 
Seraphina  breathed  again.  Her  vanity  had  been  alarmed, 
and  the  greatness  of  the  relief  improved  her  spirits. 
"Well,"  she  said,  "all  this  is  little  to  the  purpose. 
We  are  keeping  Frederic  without,  and  1  am  still  igno- 
rant of  our  line  of  battle.  Come,  co-admiral,  let  us  con- 
sult. .  .  How  am  I  to  receive  him  now  ?  And  what 
are  we  to  do  if  he  should  appear  at  the  council  ?  " 

"Now,"  he  answered.  "I  shall  leave  him  to  my 
Princess  for  just  now !  I  have  seen  her  at  work.     Send 

91 


PRINCE  OTTO 

him  off  to  his  theatricals!  But  in  all  gentleness,"  he 
added.  "Would  it,  for  instance,  would  it  displease 
my  sovereign  to  affect  a  headache  ?  " 

"  Never! "  said  she.  ''  The  woman  who  can  manage, 
like  the  man  who  can  fight,  must  never  shrink  from  an 
encounter.    The  knight  must  not  disgrace  his  weapons. " 

**Then  let  me  pray  my  belle  dame  sans  merci/'  he 
returned,  ''  to  affect  the  only  virtue  that  she  lacks.  Be 
pitiful  to  the  poor  young  man ;  affect  an  interest  in  his 
hunting;  be  weary  of  politics;  find  in  his  society,  as  it 
were,  a  grateful  repose  from  dry  considerations.  Does 
my  Princess  authorise  the  line  of  battle .? " 

''Well,  that  is  a  trifle,"  answered  Seraphina.  ''The 
council  —  there  is  the  point." 

"The  council .^ "  cried  Gondremark.  "Permit  me, 
madam."  And  he  rose  and  proceeded  to  flutter  about 
the  room,  counterfeiting  Otto  both  in  voice  and  gesture 
not  unhappily.  "  What  is  there  to-day,  Herr  von  Gon- 
dremark ?  Ah,  Herr  Cancellarius,  a  new  wig!  You  can- 
not deceive  me;  I  know  every  wig  in  Grtinewald;  I 
have  the  sovereign's  eye.  What  are  these  papers  about  "^ 
O,  I  see.  O,  certainly.  Surely,  surely.  I  wager  none 
of  you  remarked  that  wig.  By  all  means.  I  know 
nothing  about  that.  Dear  me,  are  there  as  many  as  all 
that  ?  Well,  you  can  sign  them ;  you  have  the  procu- 
ration. You  see,  Herr  Cancellarius,  I  knew  your  wig. 
And  so,"  concluded  Gondremark,  resuming  his  own 
voice,  "  our  sovereign,  by  the  particular  grace  of  God, 
enlightens  and  supports  his  privy  councillors." 

But  when  the  Baron  turned  to  Seraphina  for  approval, 
he  found  her  frozen.  "You  are  pleased  to  be  witty, 
Herr  von  Gondremark,"  she  said,  "and  have  perhaps 

92 


.   .   .    GONDREMARK   IS   IN   MY   LADY'S  CHAMBER 

forgotten  where  you  are.  But  these  rehearsals  are  apt 
to  be  misleading.  Your  master,  the  Prince  of  Grune- 
wald,  is  sometimes  more  exacting." 

Gondremark  cursed  her  in  his  soul.  Of  all  injured 
vanities,  that  of  the  reproved  buffoon  is  the  most  sav- 
age; and  when  grave  issues  are  involved,  these  petty 
stabs  become  unbearable.  But  Gondremark  was  a  man 
of  iron;  he  showed  nothing;  he  did  not  even,  like  the 
common  trickster,  retreat  because  he  had  presumed,  but 
held  to  his  point  bravely.  "  Madam,"  he  said,  ''  if,  as 
you  say,  he  prove  exacting,  we  must  take  the  bull  by 
the  horns." 

**  We  shall  see,"  she  said,  and  she  arranged  her  skirt 
like  one  about  to  rise.  Temper,  scorn,  disgust,  all  the 
more  acrid  feelings,  became  her  like  jewels;  and  she  now 
looked  her  best. 

''Pray  God  they  quarrel,"  thought  Gondremark. 
*'The  damned  minx  may  fail  me  yet,  unless  they 
quarrel.  It  is  time  to  let  him  in.  Zz  —  fight,  dogs!" 
Consequent  on  these  reflections,  he  bent  a  stiff  knee 
and  chivalrously  kissed  the  Princess's  hand.  "  My  Prin- 
cess," he  said,  "  must  now  dismiss  her  servant.  I  have 
much  to  arrange  against  the  hour  of  council." 

"Go,"  she  said,  and  rose. 

And  as  Gondremark  tripped  out  of  a  private  door, 
she  touched  a  bell,  and  gave  the  order  to  admit  the 
Prince. 


93 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  PRINCE  DELIVERS  A  LECTURE  ON  MARRIAGE,  WITH  PRAC- 
TICAL ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  DIVORCE 

With  what  a  world  of  excellent  intentions  Otto  en- 
tered his  wife's  cabinet!  how  fatherly,  how  tender! 
how  morally  affecting  were  the  words  he  had  prepared ! 
Nor  was  Seraphina  unamiably  inclined.  Her  usual  fear 
of  Otto  as  a  marplot  in  her  great  designs  was  now 
swallowed  up  in  a  passing  distrust  of  the  designs  them- 
selves. For  Gondremark,  besides,  she  had  conceived 
an  angry  horror.  In  her  heart  she  did  not  like  the  Baron. 
Behind  his  impudent  servility,  behind  the  devotion 
which,  with  indelicate  delicacy,  he  still  forced  on  her 
attention,  she  divined  the  grossness  of  his  nature.  So 
a  man  may  be  proud  of  having  tamed  a  bear,  and  yet 
sicken  at  his  captive's  odour.  And  above  all,  she  had 
certain  jealous  intimations  that  the  man  was  false,  and 
the  deception  double.  True,  she  falsely  trifled  with  his 
love;  but  he,  perhaps,  was  only  trifling  with  her  vanity. 
The  insolence  of  his  late  mimicry,  and  the  odium  of  her 
own  position  as  she  sat  and  watched  it,  lay  besides  like 
a  load  upon  her  conscience.  She  met  Otto  almost  with 
a  sense  of  guilt,  and  yet  she  welcomed  him  as  a  deliv- 
erer from  ugly  things. 

But  the  wheels  of  an  interview  are  at  the  mercy  of  a 
thousand  ruts;  and  even  at  Otto's  entrance,  the  first  jolt 

94 


THE  PRINCE   DELIVERS  A   LECTURE  ON   MARRIAGE 

occurred.  Gondremark,  he  saw,  was  gone;  but  there 
was  the  chair  drawn  close  for  consultation ;  and  it  pained 
him  not  only  that  this  man  had  been  received,  but  that 
he  should  depart  with  such  an  air  of  secrecy.  Strug- 
gling with  this  twinge,  it  was  somewhat  sharply  that 
he  dismissed  the  attendant  who  had  brought  him  in. 

"You  make  yourself  at  home,  che:(^  moi,"  she  said,  a 
little  ruffled  both  by  his  tone  of  command  and  by  the 
glance  he  had  thrown  upon  the  chair. 

*'  Madam,"  replied  Otto,  "  I  am  here  so  seldom  that 
I  have  almost  the  rights  of  a  stranger." 

"You  choose  your  own  associates,  Frederic,"  she 
said. 

"  I  am  here  to  speak  of  it,"  he  returned.  "  It  is  now 
four  years  since  we  were  married;  and  these  four  years, 
Seraphina,  have  not  perhaps  been  happy  either  for  you 
or  for  me.  I  am  well  aware  I  was  unsuitable  to  be  your 
husband.  I  was  not  young,  I  had  no  ambition,  I  was 
a  trifler;  and  you  despised  me,  I  dare  not  say  unjustly. 
But  to  do  justice  on  both  sides,  you  must  bear  in  mind 
how  I  have  acted.  When  I  found  it  amused  you  to  play 
the  part  of  Princess  on  this  little  stage,  did  I  not  imme- 
diately resign  to  you  my  box  of  toys,  this  Grilnewald  ? 
And  when  I  found  I  was  distasteful  as  a  husband,  could 
any  husband  have  been  less  intrusive  ?  You  will  tell  me 
that  I  have  no  feelings,  no  preference,  and  thus  no  credit; 
that  I  go  before  the  wind ;  that  all  this  was  in  my  char- 
acter. And  indeed,  one  thing  is  true,  that  it  is  easy,  too 
easy,  to  leave  things  undone.  But  Seraphina,  I  begin 
to  learn  it  is  not  always  wise.  If  I  were  too  old  and  too 
uncongenial  for  your  husband,  I  should  still  have  re- 
membered that  I  was  the  Prince  of  that  country  to  which 

95 


PRINCE  OTTO 

you  came,  a  visitor  and  a  child.  In  that  relation  also 
there  were  duties,  and  these  duties  I  have  not  per- 
formed." 

To  claim  the  advantage  of  superior  age  is  to  give  sure 
offence.  ''Duty!"  laughed  Seraphina,  ''and  on  your 
lips,  Frederic!  You  make  me  laugh.  What  fancy  is 
this  ?  Go,  flirt  with  the  maids  and  be  a  Prince  in  Dres- 
den China,  as  you  look.  Enjoy  yourself,  mon  enfant, 
and  leave  duty  and  the  state  to  us." 

The  plural  grated  on  the  Prince.  "I  have  enjoyed 
myself  too  much,"  he  said,  "since  enjoyment  is  the 
word.  And  yet  there  were  much  to  say  upon  the  other 
side.  You  must  suppose  me  desperately  fond  of  hunt- 
ing. But  indeed  there  were  days  when  I  found  a  great 
deal  of  interest  in  what  it  was  courtesy  to  call  my 
government.  And  I  have  always  had  some  claim  to 
taste;  I  could  tell  live  happiness  from  dull  routine;  and 
between  hunting,  and  the  throne  of  Austria,  and  your 
society,  my  choice  had  never  wavered,  had  the  choice 
been  mine.  You  were  a  girl,  a  bud,  when  you  were 
given  me " 

"Heavens!"  she  cried,  "is  this  to  be  a  love  scene .?'" 

"I  am  never  ridiculous,"  he  said;  "it  is  my  only 
merit;  and  you  may  be  certain  this  shall  be  a  scene  of 
marriage  a  la  mode.  But  when  I  remember  the  begin- 
ning, it  is  bare  courtesy  to  speak  in  sorrow.  Be  just, 
madam :  you  would  think  me  strangely  uncivil  to  recall 
these  days  without  the  decency  of  a  regret.  Be  yet  a 
little  juster,  and  own,  if  only  in  complaisance,  that  you 
yourself  regret  that  past." 

"I  have  nothing  to  regret,"  said  the  Princess.  "You 
surprise  me.     I  thought  you  were  so  happy." 

96 


THE  PRINCE   DELIVERS  A  LECTURE   ON   MARRIAGE 

' '  Happy  and  happy,  there  are  so  many  hundred  ways, " 
said  Otto.  "A  man  may  be  happy  in  revolt;  he  may 
be  happy  in  sleep;  wine,  change,  and  travel  make 
him  happy;  virtue,  they  say,  will  do  the  like  —  I  have 
not  tried;  and  they  say  also  that  in  old,  quiet,  and 
habitual  marriages  there  is  yet  another  happiness. 
Happy,  yes;  I  am  happy  if  you  like;  but  I  will  tell  you 
frankly,  I  was  happier  when  I  brought  you  home." 

"Well,"  said  the  Princess,  not  without  constraint, 
"it  seems  you  changed  your  mind." 

"Not  I,"  returned  Otto,  " I  never  changed.  Do  you 
remember,  Seraphina,  on  our  way  home,  when  you 
saw  the  roses  in  the  lane,  and  I  got  out  and  plucked 
them  ?  It  was  a  narrow  lane  between  great  trees ; 
the  sunset  at  the  end  was  all  gold,  and  the  rooks  were 
flying  overhead.  There  were  nine,  nine  red  roses;  you 
gave  me  a  kiss  for  each,  and  I  told  myself  that  every 
rose  and  every  kiss  should  stand  for  a  year  of  love. 
Well,  in  eighteen  months  there  was  an  end.  But  do 
you  fancy,  Seraphina,  that  my  heart  has  altered  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  I  cannot  tell,"  she  said,  like  an  automa- 
ton. 

"  It  has  not,"  the  Prince  continued.  "There  is  noth- 
ing ridiculous,  even  from  a  husband,  in  a  love  that  owns 
itself  unhappy  and  that  asks  no  more.  I  built  on  sand; 
pardon  me,  I  do  not  breathe  a  reproach  —  I  built,  I  sup- 
pose, upon  my  own  infirmities;  but  I  put  my  heart  in 
the  building,  and  it  still  lies  among  the  ruins." 

"  How  very  poetical!  "  she  said  with  a  little  choking 
laugh,  unknown  relentings,  unfamiliar  softnesses,  mov- 
ing within  her.  ' '  What  would  you  be  at  ?  "  she  added, 
hardening  her  voice. 

97 


PRINCE  OTTO 

"I  would  be  at  this,"  he  answered;  ''and  hard  it  is 
to  say.  I  would  be  at  this:  —  Seraphina,  I  am  your 
husband  after  all,  and  a  poor  fool  that  loves  you.  Un- 
derstand," he  cried  almost  fiercely,  **I  am  no  suppliant 
husband;  what  your  love  refuses  I  would  scorn  to  re- 
ceive from  your  pity.  I  do  not  ask,  I  would  not  take 
it.  And  for  jealousy,  what  ground  have  I  ?  A  dog-in- 
the-manger  jealousy  is  a  thing  the  dogs  may  laugh  at. 
But  at  least,  in  the  world's  eye,  I  am  still  your  husband ; 
and  I  ask  you  if  you  treat  me  fairly  ?  I  keep  to  myself, 
I  leave  you  free,  I  have  given  you  in  everything  your 
will.  What  do  you  in  return  ?  I  find,  Seraphina,  that 
you  have  been  too  thoughtless.  But  between  persons 
such  as  we,  in  our  conspicuous  station,  particular  care 
and  a  particular  courtesy  are  owing.  Scandal  is  per- 
haps not  easy  to  avoid;  but  it  is  hard  to  bear." 

* '  Scandal ! "  she  cried,  with  a  deep  breath.  *  *  Scandal ! 
It  is  for  this  you  have  been  driving! " 

**I  have  tried  to  tell  you  how  I  feel,"  he  replied.  '*! 
have  told  you  that  I  love  you  —  love  you  in  vain  —  a 
bitter  thing  for  a  husband ;  I  have  laid  myself  open  that 
I  might  speak  without  offence.  And  now  that  I  have 
begun,  I  will  go  on  and  finish." 

"I  demand  it,"  she  said.     ''What  is  this  about.?" 

Otto  flushed  crimson.  "  I  have  to  say  what  I  would 
fain  not,"  he  answered.  "1  counsel  you  to  see  less  of 
Gondremark." 

' '  Of  Gondremark  ?    And  why  ?  "  she  asked. 

"Your  intimacy  is  the  ground  of  scandal,  madam," 
said  Otto,  firmly  enough —  "  of  a  scandal  that  is  agony 
to  me,  and  would  be  crushing  to  your  parents  if  they 
knew  it." 

98 


THE  PRINCE  DELIVERS  A   LECTURE  ON   MARRIAGE 

'*  You  are  the  first  to  bring  me  word  of  it,"  said  she. 
''I  thank  you." 

**  You  have  perhaps  cause,"  he  replied.  "  Perhaps  I 
am  the  only  one  among  your  friends " 

"O,  leave  my  friends  alone,"  she  interrupted.  "My 
friends  are  of  a  different  stamp.  You  have  come  to  me 
here  and  made  a  parade  of  sentiment.  When  have  I 
last  seen  you  ?  I  have  governed  your  kingdom  for  you 
in  the  meanwhile,  and  there  I  got  no  help.  At  last, 
when  I  am  weary  with  a  man's  work,  when  you  are 
weary  of  your  playthings,  you  return  to  make  me  a 
scene  of  conjugal  reproaches  —  the  grocer  and  his  wife! 
The  positions  are  too  much  reversed;  and  you  should 
understand,  at  least,  that  I  cannot  at  the  same  time  do 
your  work  of  government  and  behave  myself  like  a  little 
girl.  Scandal  is  the  atmosphere  in  which  we  live,  we 
princes;  it  is  what  a  prince  should  know.  You  play 
an  odious  part.    Do  you  believe  this  rumour  ?  " 

"Madam,  should  I  be  here.?^"  said  Otto. 

"  It  is  what  I  want  to  know!  "  she  cried,  the  tempest 
of  her  scorn  increasing.  "Suppose  you  did  —  I  say, 
suppose  you  did  believe  it  ?" 

"I  should  make  it  my  business  to  suppose  the  con- 
trary," he  answered. 

"  I  thought  so.  O,  you  are  made  of  baseness! "  said 
she. 

"Madam,"  he  cried,  roused  at  last,  "  enough  of  this. 
You  wilfully  misunderstand  my  attitude ;  you  outwear 
my  patience.  In  the  name  of  your  parents,  in  my  own 
name,  1  summon  you  to  be  more  circumspect." 

"Is  this  a  request.  Monsieur  mon  mari?  "  she  de- 
manded. 

99 


PRINCE  OTTO 

** Madam,  if  I  chose,  I  might  command,"  said  Otto. 

"  You  might,  sir,  as  the  law  stands,  make  me  a  pris- 
oner," returned  Seraphina.  ''Short  of  that  you  will 
gain  nothing." 

"You  will  continue  as  before  ?"  he  asked. 

"Precisely  as  before,"  said  she.  "As  soon  as  this 
comedy  is  over,  I  shall  request  the  Freiherr  von  Gondre- 
mark  to  visit  me.  Do  you  understand.^"  she  added, 
rising.     "  For  my  part,  I  have  done." 

"I  will  then  ask  the  favour  of  your  hand,  madam," 
said  Otto,  palpitating  in  every  pulse  with  anger.  "I 
have  to  request  that  you  will  visit  in  my  society  another 
part  of  my  poor  house.  And  reassure  yourself —  it  will 
not  take  long  —  and  it  is  the  last  obligation  that  you 
shall  have  the  chance  to  lay  m.e  under." 

"The  last.?"  she  cried.     "  Most  joyfully !  " 

She  offered  her  hand,  and  he  took  it;  on  each  side 
with  an  elaborate  affectation,  each  inwardly  incandes- 
cent. He  led  her  out  by  the  private  door,  following 
where  Gondremark  had  passed ;  they  threaded  a  corri- 
dor or  two,  little  frequented,  looking  on  a  court,  until 
they  came  at  last  into  the  Prince's  suite.  The  first  room 
was  an  armoury,  hung  all  about  with  the  weapons  of 
various  countries,  and  looking  forth  on  the  front  terrace. 

"Have  you  brought  me  here  to  slay  me?"  she  in- 
quired. 

"  I  have  brought  you,  madam,  only  to  pass  on,"  re- 
plied Otto. 

Next  they  came  to  a  library,  where  an  old  chamber- 
Iain  sat  half  asleep.  He  rose  and  bowed  before  the 
princely  couple,  asking  for  orders. 

"You  will  attend  us  here,"  said  Otto. 


THE  PRINCE   DELIVERS  A   LECTURE  ON   MARRIAGE 

The  next  stage  was  a  gallery  of  pictures,  where  Ser- 
aphina's  portrait  hung  conspicuous,  dressed  for  the 
chase,  red  roses  in  her  hair,  as  Otto,  in  the  first  months 
of  marriage,  had  directed.  He  pointed  to  it  without  a 
word;  she  raised  her  eyebrows  in  silence;  and  they 
passed  still  forward  into  a  matted  corridor  where  four 
doors  opened.  One  led  to  Otto's  bedroom ;  one  was  the 
private  door  to  Seraphina's.  And  here,  for  the  first  time. 
Otto  left  her  hand,  and  stepping  forward,  shot  the  bolt. 

*Mt  is  long,  madam,"  said  he,  "since  it  was  bolted 
on  the  other  side." 

* '  One  was  effectual, "  returned  the  Princess.  ' '  Is  this 
all.?" 

''Shall  I  reconduct  you  ?"  he  asked,  bowing. 

"I  should  prefer,"  she  asked,  in  ringing  tones,  ''the 
conduct  of  the  Freiherr  von  Gondremark." 

Otto  summoned  the  chamberlain.  "  If  the  Freiherr 
von  Gondremark  is  in  the  palace,"  he  said,  "bid  him 
attend  the  Princess  here."  And  when  the  official  had 
departed,  "  Can  I  do  more  to  serve  you,  madam  ?"  the 
Prince  asked. 

"Thank  you,  no.  I  have  been  much  amused,"  she 
answered. 

' '  I  have  now, "  continued  Otto,  ' '  given  you  your  liberty 
complete.    This  has  been  for  you  a  miserable  marriage." 

"  Miserable!  "  said  she. 

"It  has  been  made  light  to  you;  it  shall  be  lighter 
still,"  continued  the  Prince.  "  But  one  thing,  madam, 
you  must  still  continue  to  bear  —  my  father's  name, 
which  is  now  yours.  I  leave  it  in  your  hands.  Let 
me  see  you,  since  you  will  have  no  advice  of  mine,  ap- 
ply the  more  attention  of  your  own  to  bear  it  worthily." 

lOI 


PRINCE  OTTO 

**Herr  von  Gondremark  is  long  in  coming,"  she  re- 
marked. 

"O  Seraphina,  Seraphina!  "  he  cried.  And  that  was 
the  end  of  their  interview. 

She  tripped  to  a  window  and  looked  out;  and  a  little 
after,  the  chamberlain  announced  the  Freiherr  von  Gon- 
dremark, who  entered  with  something  of  a  wild  eye 
and  changed  complexion,  confounded,  as  he  was,  at 
this  unusual  summons.  The  Princess  faced  round  from 
the  window  with  a  pearly  smile ;  nothing  but  her  height- 
ened colour  spoke  of  discomposure.  Otto  was  pale,  but 
he  was  otherwise  master  of  himself. 

*'  Herr  von  Gondremark,"  said  he,  ''oblige  me  so  far: 
reconduct  the  Princess  to  her  own  apartment." 

The  Baron,  still  at  sea,  offered  his  hand,  which  was 
smilingly  accepted,  and  the  pair  sailed  forth  through  the 
picture-gallery. 

As  soon  as  they  were  gone,  and  Otto  knew  the  length 
and  breadth  of  his  miscarriage,  and  how  he  had  done 
the  contrary  of  all  that  he  intended,  he  stood  stupefied. 
A  fiasco  so  complete  and  sweeping  was  laughable,  even 
to  himself;  and  he  laughed  aloud  in  his  wrath.  Upon  this 
mood  there  followed  the  sharpest  violence  of  remorse; 
and  to  that  again,  as  he  recalled  his  provocation,  anger  suc- 
ceeded afresh.  So  he  was  tossed  in  spirit;  now  bewail- 
ing his  inconsequence  and  lack  of  temper,  now  flaming 
up  in  white  hot  indignation  and  a  noble  pity  for  himself. 

He  paced  his  apartment  like  a  leopard.  There  was 
danger  in  Otto,  for  a  flash.  Like  a  pistol,  he  could  kill 
at  one  moment,  and  the  next  he  might  be  kicked  aside. 
But  just  then,  as  he  walked  the  long  floors  in  his  alter- 
nate humours,  tearing  his  handkerchief  between  his 


THE   PRINCE   DELIVERS   A   LECTURE  ON   MARRIAGE 

hands,  he  was  strung  to  his  top  note,  every  nerve  at- 
tent.  The  pistol,  you  might  say,  was  charged.  And 
when  jealousy  from  time  to  time  fetched  him  a  lash 
across  the  tenderest  of  his  feeling,  and  sent  a  string  of 
her  fire-pictures  glancing  before  his  mind's  eye,  the  con- 
traction of  his  face  was  even  dangerous.  He  disregarded 
jealousy's  inventions,  yet  they  stung.  In  this  height  of 
his  anger,  he  still  preserved  his  faith  in  Seraphina's  in- 
nocence; but  the  thought  of  her  possible  misconduct 
was  the  bitterest  ingredient  in  his  pot  of  sorrow. 

There  came  a  knock  at  the  door,  and  the  chamberlain 
brought  him  a  note.  He  took  it  and  ground  it  in  his 
hand,  continuing  his  march,  continuing  his  bewildered 
thoughts;  and  some  minutes  had  gone  by  before  the 
circumstance  came  clearly  to  his  mind.  Then  he  paused 
and  opened  it.  It  was  a  pencil  scratch  from  Gotthold, 
thus  conceived : 

"  The  council  is  privately  summoned  at  once. 

''G.  V.  H." 

If  the  council  was  thus  called  before  the  hour,  and 
that  privately,  it  was  plain  they  feared  his  interference. 
Feared:  here  was  a  sweet  thought.  Gotthold,  too  — 
Gotthold,  who  had  always  used  and  regarded  him  as  a 
mere  pleasant  lad,  had  now  been  at  the  pains  to  warn 
him ;  Gotthold  looked  for  something  at  his  hands.  Well, 
none  should  be  disappointed;  the  Prince,  too  long  be- 
shadowed  by  the  uxorious  lover,  should  now  return  and 
shine.  He  summoned  his  valet,  repaired  the  disorder 
of  his  appearance  with  elaborate  care;  and  then,  curled 
and  scented  and  adorned.  Prince  Charming  in  every  line, 
but  with  a  twitching  nostril,  he  set  forth  unattended  for 
the  council. 

103 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   PRINCE   DISSOLVES  THE  COUNCIL 

It  was  as  Gotthold  wrote.  The  liberation  of  Sir 
John,  Greisengesang's  uneasy  narrative,  last  of  all,  the 
scene  between  Seraphina  and  the  Prince,  had  decided 
the  conspirators  to  take  a  step  of  bold  timidity.  There 
had  been  a  period  of  bustle,  liveried  messengers  speed- 
ing here  and  there  with  notes ;  and  at  half-past  ten  in 
the  morning,  about  an  hour  before  its  usual  hour,  the 
council  of  Grunewald  sat  around  the  board. 

It  was  not  a  large  body.  At  the  instance  of  Gondre- 
mark,  it  had  undergone  a  strict  purgation,  and  was  now 
composed  exclusively  of  tools.  Three  secretaries  sat  at 
a  side  table.  Seraphina  took  the  head ;  on  her  right  was 
the  Baron,  on  her  left  Greisengesang;  below  these  Gra- 
fmski  the  treasurer.  Count  Eisenthal,  a  couple  of  non- 
combatants,  and,  to  the  surprise  of  all,  Gotthold.  He 
had  been  named  a  privy  councillor  by  Otto,  merely  that 
he  might  profit  by  the  salary;  and  as  he  was  never 
known  to  attend  a  meeting,  it  had  occurred  to  nobody 
to  cancel  his  appointment.  His  present  appearance  was 
the  more  ominous,  coming  when  it  did.  Gondremark 
scowled  upon  him ;  and  the  non-combatant  on  his  right, 
intercepting  this  black  look,  edged  away  from  one  who 
was  so  clearly  out  of  favour. 

104 


THE   PRINCE   DISSOLVES  THE  COUNCIL 

''The  hour  presses,  your  Highness,"  said  the  Baron; 
"may  we  proceed  to  business  ?" 

''At  once,"  replied  Seraphina. 

"Your  Highness  will  pardon  me,"  said  Gotthold; 
"but  you  are  still,  perhaps,  unacquainted  with  the  fact 
that  Prince  Otto  has  returned." 

"The  Prince  will  not  attend  the  council,"  replied 
Seraphina,  with  a  momentary  blush.  ' '  The  despatches, 
Herr  Cancellarius  ?    There  is  one  for  Gerolstein  ?  " 

A  secretary  brought  a  paper. 

"  Here,  madam,"  said  Greisengesang,  "  Shall  I  read 
it.?" 

"  We  are  all  familiar  with  its  terms,"  replied  Gondre- 
mark.     "  Your  Highness  approves  ?  " 

"Unhesitatingly,"  said  Seraphina. 

"  It  may  then  be  held  as  read,"  concluded  the  Baron. 
"Will  your  Highness  sign  ?" 

The  Princess  did  so ;  Gondremark,  Eisenthal,  and  one 
of  the  non-combatants  followed  suit;  and  the  paper 
was  then  passed  across  the  table  to  the  librarian.  He 
proceeded  leisurely  to  read. 

"  We  have  no  time  to  spare,  Herr  Doctor,"  cried  the 
Baron,  brutally.  "  If  you  do  not  choose  to  sign  on  the 
authority  of  your  sovereign,  pass  it  on.  Or  you  may 
leave  the  table,"  he  added,  his  temper  ripping  out. 

"1  decline  your  invitation,  Herr  von  Gondremark; 
and  my  sovereign,  as  I  continue  to  observe  with  regret, 
is  still  absent  from  the  board, "  replied  the  Doctor,  calmly ; 
and  he  resum.ed  the  perusal  of  the  paper,  the  rest  chaf- 
ing and  exchanging  glances.  ' '  Madam  and  gentlemen, " 
he  said,  at  last,  "what  I  hold  in  my  hand  is  simply  a 
declaration  of  war." 

105 


PRINCE  OTTO 

''Simply,"  said  Seraphina,  flashing  defiance. 

"The  sovereign  of  this  country  is  under  the  same 
roof  with  us,"  continued  Gotthold,  ''and  I  insist  he 
shall  be  summoned.  It  is  needless  to  adduce  my  rea- 
sons; you  are  all  ashamed  at  heart  of  this  projected 
treachery." 

The  council  waved  like  a  sea.  There  were  various 
outcries. 

"You  insult  the  Princess,"  thundered  Gondremark. 

"I  maintain  my  protest,"  replied  Gotthold. 

At  the  height  of  this  confusion  the  door  was  thrown 
open;  an  usher  announced,  "Gentlemen,  the  Prince!" 
and  Otto,  with  his  most  excellent  bearing,  entered  the 
apartment.  It  was  like  oil  upon  the  troubled  waters ; 
every  one  settled  instantly  into  his  place,  and  Greisen- 
gesang,  to  give  himself  a  countenance,  became  absorbed 
in  the  arrangement  of  his  papers ;  but  in  their  eagerness 
to  dissemble,  one  and  all  neglected  to  rise. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  the  Prince,  pausing. 

They  all  got  to  their  feet  in  a  moment;  and  this  re- 
proof still  further  demoralised  the  weaker  brethren. 

The  Prince  moved  slowly  towards  the  lower  end  of 
the  table;  then  he  paused  again,  and,  fixing  his  eye  on 
Greisengesang,  "How  comes  it,  Herr  Cancellarius,"  he 
asked,  "that  I  have  received  no  notice  of  the  change  of 
hour?" 

"  Your  Highness,"  replied  the  Chancellor,  "  her  High- 
ness the  Princess     .     .     ."  and  there  paused. 

"  I  understood,"  said  Seraphina,  taking  him  up,  "that 
you  did  not  purpose  to  be  present." 

Their  eyes  met  for  a  second,  and  Seraphina's  fell ;  but  her 
anger  only  burned  the  brighter  for  that  private  shame. 

1 06 


THE   PRINCE   DISSOLVES  THE   COUNCIL 

*' And  now,  gentlemen,"  said  Otto,  taking  his  chair, 
*'I  pray  you  to  be  seated.  I  have  been  absent:  there 
are  doubtless  some  arrears ;  but  ere  we  proceed  to  busi- 
ness, Herr  Grafmski,  you  will  direct  four  thousand 
crowns  to  be  sent  to  me  at  once.  Make  a  note,  if  you 
please,"  he  added,  as  the  treasurer  still  stared  in  wonder. 

* '  Four  thousand  crowns  ?  "  asked  Seraphina.  * '  Pray, 
for  what  ?  " 

** Madam,"  returned  Otto,  smiling,  *'for  my  own 
purposes." 

Gondremark  spurred  up  Grafmski  underneath  the 
table. 

*  *  If  your  Highness  will  indicate  the  destination  ..." 
began  the  puppet. 

*' You  are  not  here,  sir,  to  interrogate  your  Prince," 
said  Otto. 

Grafmski  looked  for  help  to  his  commander;  and 
Gondremark  came  to  his  aid,  in  suave  and  measured 
tones. 

"Your  Highness  may  reasonably  be  surprised,"  he 
said;  "and  Herr  Grafmski,  although  I  am  convinced  he 
is  clear  of  the  intention  of  offending,  would  have  per- 
haps done  better  to  begin  with  an  explanation.  The 
resources  of  the  State  are  at  the  present  moment  entirely 
swallowed  up,  or,  as  we  hope  to  prove,  wisely  invested. 
In  a  month  from  now,  I  do  not  question  we  shall  be 
able  to  meet  any  command  your  Highness  may  lay  upon 
us ;  but  at  this  hour  I  fear  that,  even  in  so  small  a  mat- 
ter, he  must  prepare  himself  for  disappointment.  Our 
zeal  is  no  less,  although  our  power  may  be  inadequate." 

"How  much,  Herr  Grafmski,  have  we  in  the  treas- 
ury?" asked  Otto. 

1 07 


PRINCE  OTTO 

"  Your  Highness,"  protested  the  treasurer,  **  we  have 
immediate  need  of  every  crown." 

*'  I  think,  sir,  you  evade  me,"  flashed  the  Prince;  and 
then  turning  to  the  side  table,  "Mr.  Secretary,"  he 
added,  "bring  me,  if  you  please,  the  treasury  docket." 

Herr  Grafinski  became  deadly  pale;  the  chancellor, 
expecting  his  own  turn,  was  probably  engaged  in 
prayer;  Gondremark  was  watching  like  a  ponderous 
cat.  Gotthold,  on  his  part,  looked  on  with  wonder  at 
his  cousin ;  he  was  certainly  showing  spirit,  but  what, 
in  such  a  time  of  gravity,  was  all  this  talk  of  money  ? 
and  why  should  he  waste  his  strength  upon  a  personal 
issue  ? 

"I  find,"  said  Otto,  with  his  finger  on  the  docket, 
"that  we  have  20,000  crowns  in  case." 

"That  is  exact,  your  Highness,"  replied  the  Baron. 
"But  our  liabilities,  all  of  which  are  happily  not  liquid, 
amount  to  a  far  larger  sum ;  and  at  the  present  point  of 
time,  it  would  be  morally  impossible  to  divert  a  single 
florin.  Essentially,  the  case  is  empty.  We  have,  al- 
ready presented,  a  large  note  for  material  of  war." 

"Material  of  war.?  "  exclaimed  Otto,  with  an  excel- 
lent assumption  of  surprise.  ' *  But  if  my  memory  serves 
me  right,  we  settled  these  accounts  in  January." 

"There  have  been  further  orders,"  the  Baron  ex- 
plained. '  *  A  new  park  of  artillery  has  been  completed ; 
five  hundred  stand  of  arms,  seven  hundred  baggage 
mules  —  the  details  are  in  a  special  memorandum.  Mr. 
Secretary  Holtz,  the  memorandum,  if  you  please." 

"  One  would  think,  gentlemen,  that  we  were  going 
to  war,"  said  Otto. 

"  We  are,"  said  Seraphina. 
108 


THE  PRINCE   DISSOLVES  THE  COUNCIL 

*'War!"  cried  the  Prince,  '*And,  gentlemen,  with 
whom  ?  The  peace  of  Griinewald  has  endured  for  cen- 
turies. What  aggression,  what  insult,  have  we  suf- 
fered ?  " 

"  Here,  your  Highness,"  said  Gotthold,  ''  is  the  ulti- 
matum. It  was  in  the  very  article  of  signature,  when 
your  Highness  so  opportunely  entered." 

Otto  laid  the  paper  before  him ;  as  he  read,  his  fingers 
played  tattoo  upon  the  table.  "  Was  it  proposed,"  he 
inquired,  **to  send  this  paper  forth  without  a  know- 
ledge of  my  pleasure.^" 

One  of  the  non-combatants,  eager  to  trim,  volunteered 
an  answer.  **The  Herr  Doctor  von  Hohenstockwitz 
had  just  entered  his  dissent,"  he  added. 

''Give  me  the  rest  of  this  correspondence,"  said  the 
Prince.  It  was  handed  to  him,  and  he  read  it  patiently 
from  end  to  end,  while  the  councillors  sat  foolishly 
enough  looking  before  them  on  the  table.  The  secreta- 
ries, in  the  background,  were  exchanging  glances  of  de- 
light ;  a  row  at  the  council  was  for  them  a  rare  and  wel- 
come feature. 

''Gentlemen,"  said  Otto,  when  he  had  finished,  "I 
have  read  with  pain.  This  claim  upon  Obermunsterol 
is  palpably  unjust;  it  has  not  a  tincture,  not  a  show,  of 
justice.  There  is  not  in  all  this  ground  enough  for  after- 
dinner  talk,  and  you  propose  to  force  it  as  a  casus  belli." 

"Certainly,  your  Highness,"  returned  Gondremark, 
too  wise  to  defend  the  indefensible,  "the  claim  on 
Obermunsterol  is  simply  a  pretext." 

"It  is  well,"  said  the  Prince.  " Herr  Cancellarius, 
take  your  pen.  ' The  council,' "  he  began  to  dictate  — 
"I  withhold  all  notice  of  my  intervention,"  he  said,  in 

109 


PRINCE  OTTO 

parenthesis  and  addressing  himself  more  directly  to  his 
wife;  **and  I  say  nothing  of  the  strange  suppression  by 
which  this  business  has  been  smuggled  past  my  know- 
ledge. I  am  content  to  be  in  time —  'The  council,"* 
he  resumed,  * '  '  on  a  further  examination  of  the  facts,  and 
enlightened  by  the  note  in  the  last  despatch  from  Gerol- 
stein,  have  the  pleasure  to  announce  that  they  are  en- 
tirely at  one,  both  as  to  fact  and  sentiment,  with  the 
Grand  Ducal  Court  of  Gerolstein.'  You  have  it  ?  Upon 
these  lines,  sir,  you  will  draw  up  the  despatch." 

"If  your  Highness  will  allow  me,"  said  the  Baron, 
"your  Highness  is  so  imperfectly  acquainted  with  the 
internal  history  of  this  correspondence,  that  any  inter- 
ference will  be  merely  hurtful.  Such  a  paper  as  your 
Highness  proposes,  would  be  to  stultify  the  whole  pre- 
vious policy  of  Griinewald." 

* '  The  policy  of  Grunewald !  "  cried  the  Prince.  * '  One 
would  suppose  you  had  no  sense  of  humour!  Would 
you  fish  in  a  coffee  cup  ?  " 

"With  deference,  your  Highness,"  returned  the 
Baron,  "even  in  a  coffee  cup  there  may  be  poison. 
The  purpose  of  this  war  is  not  simply  territorial  enlarge- 
ment; still  less  is  it  a  war  of  glory;  for,  as  your  High- 
ness indicates,  the  state  of  Grunewald  is  too  small  to 
be  ambitious.  But  the  body  politic  is  seriously  dis- 
eased; republicanism,  socialism,  many  disintegrating 
ideas  are  abroad ;  circle  within  circle,  a  really  formidable 
organisation  has  grown  upaboutyourHighness'sthrone." 

"I  have  heard  of  it,  Herr  von  Gondremark,"  put  in 
the  Prince;  "but  I  have  reason  to  be  aware  that  yours 
is  the  more  authoritative  information." 

"I  am  honoured  by  this  expression  of  my  Prince's 
no 


THE  PRINCE   DISSOLVES  THE  COUNCIL 

confidence,"  returned  Gondremark,  unabashed.  "It 
is,  therefore,  with  a  single  eye  to  these  disorders,  that 
our  present  external  policy  has  been  shaped.  Some- 
thing was  required  to  divert  public  attention,  to  employ 
the  idle,  to  popularise  your  Highness's  rule,  and,  if  it 
were  possible,  to  enable  him  to  reduce  the  taxes  at  a 
blow  and  to  a  notable  amount.  The  proposed  expedi- 
tion —  for  it  cannot  without  hyperbole  be  called  a  war 
—  seemed  to  the  council  to  combine  the  various  charac- 
ters required ;  a  marked  improvement  in  the  public  sen- 
timent has  followed  even  upon  our  preparations;  and  I 
cannot  doubt  that  when  success  shall  follow,  the  effect 
will  surpass  even  our  boldest  hopes." 

"You  are  very  adroit,  Herr  von  Gondremark,"  said 
Otto.  "  You  fill  me  with  admiration.  1  had  not  here- 
tofore done  justice  to  your  qualities." 

Seraphina  looked  up  with  joy,  supposing  Otto  con- 
quered; but  Gondremark  still  waited,  armed  at  every 
point;  he  knew  how  very  stubborn  is  the  revolt  of  a 
weak  character. 

"And  the  territorial  army  scheme,  to  which  I  was 
persuaded  to  consent — was  it  secretly  directed  to  the 
same  end  ?"  the  Prince  asked. 

"  I  still  believe  the  effect  to  have  been  good,"  replied 
the  Baron;  "discipline  and  mounting  guard  are  ex- 
cellent sedatives.  But  I  will  avow  to  your  Highness,  I 
was  unaware,  at  the  date  of  that  decree,  of  the  magni- 
tude of  the  revolutionary  movement;  nor  did  any  of  us, 
I  think,  imagine  that  such  a  territorial  army  was  a  part 
of  the  republican  proposals." 

* '  It  was  ?  "  asked  Otto.  '  *  Strange !  Upon  what  fan- 
cied grounds  ?  " 


PRINCE  OTTO 

'*The  grounds  were  indeed  fanciful,"  returned  the 
Baron.  *Mt  was  conceived  among  the  leaders  that  a 
territorial  army,  drawn  from  and  returning  to  the  peo- 
ple, would,  in  the  event  of  any  popular  uprising,  prove 
lukewarm  or  unfaithful  to  the  throne." 

**  I  see,"  said  the  Prince.     "  I  begin  to  understand." 

*' His  Highness  begins  to  understand.^"  repeated 
Gondremark,  with  the  sweetest  politeness.  "May  I 
beg  of  him  to  complete  the  phrase  ?  " 

''The  history  of  the  revolution,"  replied  Otto,  drily. 
"And  now,"  he  added,  "  what  do  you  conclude.?" 

"  I  conclude,  your  Highness,  with  a  simple  reflec- 
tion," said  the  Baron,  accepting  the  stab  without  a 
quiver,  "the  war  is  popular;  were  the  rumour  contra- 
dicted to-morrow,  a  considerable  disappointment  would 
be  felt  in  many  classes;  and  in  the  present  tension  of 
spirits,  the  most  lukewarm  sentiment  may  be  enough  to 
precipitate  events.  There  lies  the  danger.  The  revolu- 
tion hangs  imminent;  we  sit,  at  this  council  board,  be- 
low the  sword  of  Damocles." 

"We  must  then  lay  our  heads  together,"  said  the 
Prince,  "and  devise  some  honourable  means  of  safety." 

Up  to  this  moment,  since  the  first  note  of  opposition 
fell  from  the  librarian,  Seraphina  had  uttered  about 
twenty  words.  With  a  somewhat  heightened  colour, 
her  eyes  generally  lowered,  her  foot  sometimes  nervously 
tapping  on  the  floor,  she  had  kept  her  own  counsel  and 
commanded  her  anger  like  a  hero.  But  at  this  stage  of 
the  engagement  she  lost  control  of  her  impatience. 

"Means!  "  she  cried.  "They  have  been  found  and 
prepared  before  you  knew  the  need  for  them.  Sign  the 
despatch,  and  let  us  be  done  with  this  delay." 


THE  PRINCE  DISSOLVES  THE  COUNCIL 

'*  Madam,  I  said  '  honourable,'  "  returned  Otto,  bow- 
ing. "This  war  is,  in  my  eyes,  and  by  Herr  von 
Gondremark's  account,  an  inadmissible  expedient.  If 
we  have  misgoverned  here  in  Grunewald,  are  the  peo- 
ple of  Gerolstein  to  bleed  and  pay  for  our  misdoings  ? 
Never,  madam ;  not  while  I  live.  But  I  attach  so  much 
importance  to  all  that  I  have  heard  to-day  for  the  first 
time  —  and  why  only  to-day,  I  do  not  even  stop  to 
ask  —  that  I  am  eager  to  find  some  plan  that  I  can  fol- 
low with  credit  to  myself." 

"And  should  you  fail  ?  "  she  asked. 

"Should  I  fail,  I  will  then  meet  the  blow  halfway," 
replied  the  Prince.  "On  the  first  open  discontent,  I 
shall  convoke  the  States,  and,  when  it  pleases  them  to 
bid  me,  abdicate." 

Seraphina  laughed  angrily.  "This  is  the  man  for 
whom  we  have  been  labouring  !  "  she  cried.  "  We  tell 
him  of  change;  he  will  devise  the  means,  he  says;  and 
his  device  is  abdication  ?  Sir,  have  you  no  shame  to 
come  here  at  the  eleventh  hour  among  those  who  have 
borne  the  heat  and  burthen  of  the  day  ?  Do  you  not 
wonder  at  yourself?  I,  sir,  was  here  in  my  place, 
striving  to  uphold  your  dignity  alone.  I  took  counsel 
with  the  wisest  I  could  find,  while  you  were  eating  and 
hunting.  I  have  laid  my  plans  with  foresight;  they 
were  ripe  for  action ;  and  then  —  "  she  choked  —  "then 
you  return  —  for  a  forenoon  —  to  ruin  all !  To-morrow, 
you  will  be  once  more  about  your  pleasures ;  you  will 
give  us  leave  once  more  to  think  and  work  for  you ;  and 
again  you  will  come  back,  and  again  you  will  thwart 
what  you  had  not  the  industry  or  knowledge  to  con- 
ceive.    Oh !  it  is  intolerable.     Be  modest,  sir.     Do  not 


PRINCE  OTTO 

presume  upon  the  rank  you  cannot  worthily  uphold.  I 
would  not  issue  my  commands  with  so  much  gusto  — 
it  is  from  no  merit  in  yourself  they  are  obeyed.  What 
are  you  ?  What  have  you  to  do  in  this  grave  council  ? 
Go,"  she  cried,  **go  among  your  equals!  The  very 
people  in  the  streets  mock  at  you  for  a  prince." 

At  this  surprising  outburst  the  whole  council  sat 
aghast. 

"  Madam,"  said  the  Baron,  alarmed  out  of  his  caution, 
*'  command  yourself." 

'*  Address  yourself  to  me,  sir!"  cried  the  Prince.  **I 
will  not  bear  these  whisperings!" 

Seraphina  burst  into  tears. 

*'Sir,"  cried  the  Baron,  rising,  ''this  lady " 

"Herr  von  Gondremark,"  said  the  Prince,  ''one  more 
observation,  and  I  place  you  under  arrest." 

"  Your  Highness  is  the  master,"  replied  Gondremark, 
bowing. 

' '  Bear  it  in  mind  more  constantly, "  said  Otto.  "  Herr 
Cancellarius,  bring  all  the  papers  to  my  cabinet.  Gen- 
tlemen, the  council  is  dissolved." 

And  he  bowed  and  left  the  apartment,  followed  by 
Greisengesang  and  the  secretaries,  just  at  the  moment 
when  the  Princess's  ladies,  summoned  in  all  haste,  en- 
tered by  another  door  to  help  her  forth. 


114 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  PARTY  OF  WAR  TAKES  ACTION 

Half  an  hour  after,  Gondremark  was  once  more 
closeted  with  Seraphina. 

"Where  is  he  now ?"  she  asked,  on  his  arrival. 

"Madam,  he  is  with  the  Chancellor,"  replied  the 
Baron.     "Wonder  of  wonders,  he  is  at  work! " 

"Ah,"  she  said,  " he  was  born  to  torture  me!  Oh, 
what  a  fall,  what  a  humiliation!  Such  a  scheme  to 
wreck  upon  so  small  a  trifle!     But  now  all  is  lost." 

* '  Madam, "  said  Gondremark, '  *  nothing  is  lost.  Some- 
thing, on  the  other  hand,  is  found.  You  have  found 
your  senses;  you  see  him  as  he  is  —  see  him  as  you  see 
everything  where  your  too-good  heart  is  not  in  question 
—  with  the  judicial,  with  the  statesman's  eye.  So  long 
as  he  had  a  right  to  interfere,  the  empire  that  may  be 
was  still  distant.  I  have  not  entered  on  this  course 
without  the  plain  foresight  of  its  dangers ;  and  even  for 
this  I  was  prepared.  But,  madam,  I  knew  two  things : 
I  knew  that  you  were  born  to  command,  that  I  was 
born  to  serve;  I  knew  that  by  a  rare  conjuncture,  the 
hand  had  found  the  tool ;  and  from  the  first  I  was  con- 
fident, as  I  am  confident  to-day,  that  no  hereditary  trifler 
has  the  power  to  shatter  that  alliance." 

»i5 


PRINCE  OTTO 

"\,  born  to  command!"  she  said.  "Do  you  forget 
my  tears?" 

**  Madam,  they  were  the  tears  of  Alexander,"  cried 
the  Baron.  **They  touched,  they  thrilled  me;  I  forgot 
myself  a  moment  —  even  I!  But  do  you  suppose  that 
I  had  not  remarked,  that  I  had  not  admired,  your  pre- 
vious bearing  ?  your  great  self-command  ?  Ay,  that 
was  princely ! "  He  paused.  *'It  was  a  thing  to  see.  I 
drank  confidence!  I  tried  to  imitate  your  calm.  And  I 
was  well  inspired ;  in  my  heart,  I  think  that  I  was  well 
inspired ;  that  any  man,  within  the  reach  of  argument, 
had  been  convinced !  But  it  was  not  to  be ;  nor,  madam, 
do  I  regret  the  failure.  Let  us  be  open ;  let  me  disclose 
my  heart.  I  have  loved  two  things,  not  unworthily: 
Grunewald  and  my  sovereign!"  Here  he  kissed  her 
hand.  "Either  I  must  resign  my  ministry,  leave  the 
land  of  my  adoption  and  the  queen  whom  I  had  chosen 
to  obey  —  or "     He  paused  again. 

"Alas,  Herr  von  Gondremark,  there  is  no  'or,'  "  said 
Seraphina. 

"Nay,  madam,  give  me  time,"  he  replied.  "When 
first  I  saw  you,  you  were  still  young;  not  every  man 
would  have  remarked  your  powers ;  but  I  had  not  been 
twice  honoured  by  your  conversation  ere  I  had  found 
my  mistress.  I  have,  madam,  I  believe,  some  genius; 
and  I  have  much  ambition.  But  the  genius  is  of  the 
serving  kind;  and  to  offer  a  career  to  my  ambition,  I 
had  to  find  one  born  to  rule.  This  is  the  base  and 
essence  of  our  union;  each  had  need  of  the  other;  each 
recognised,  master  and  servant,  lever  and  fulcrum,  the 
complement  of  his  endowment.  Marriages,  they  say, 
are  made  in  heaven :  how  much  much  more  these  pure, 

116 


THE  PARTY  OF  WAR  TAKES  ACTION 

laborious,  intellectual  fellowships,  born  to  found  em^ 
pires !  Nor  is  this  all.  We  found  each  other  ripe,  filled 
with  great  ideas  that  took  shape  and  clarified  with  every 
word.  We  grew  together  —  ay,  madam,  in  mind  we 
grew  together  like  twin  children.  All  of  my  life  until 
we  met  was  petty  and  groping;  was  it  not  —  I  will 
flatter  myself  openly  —  it  was  the  same  with  you!  Not 
till  then  had  you  those  eagle  surveys,  that  wide  and 
hopeful  sweep  of  intuition !  Thus  we  had  formed  our- 
selves, and  we  were  ready." 

"It  is  true,"  she  cried.  "I  feel  it.  Yours  is  the 
genius;  your  generosity  confounds  your  insight;  all  I 
could  offer  you  was  the  position,  was  this  throne,  to  be 
a  fulcrum.  But  I  offered  it  without  reserve;  1  entered 
at  least  warmly  into  all  your  thoughts;  you  were  sure 
of  me  —  sure  of  my  support  —  certain  of  justice.  Tell 
me,  tell  me  again,  that  I  have  helped  you." 

*'  Nay,  madam,"  he  said,  ''  you  made  me.  In  every- 
thing you  were  my  inspiration.  And  as  we  prepared 
our  policy,  weighing  every  step,  how  often  have  I  had 
to  admire  your  perspicacity,  your  man-like  diligence  and 
fortitude !  You  know  that  these  are  not  the  words  of 
flattery ;  your  conscience  echoes  them ;  have  you  spared 
a  day  }  have  you  indulged  yourself  in  any  pleasure  ? 
Young  and  beautiful,  you  have  lived  a  life  of  high  intel- 
lectual effort,  of  irksome  intellectual  patience  with  de- 
tails. Well,  you  have  your  reward:  with  the  fall  of 
Brandenau,  the  throne  of  your  Empire  is  founded." 

"What  thought  have  you  in  your  mind  }  "  she  asked. 
"Is  not  all  ruined  }'* 

"Nay,  my  Princess,  the  same  thought  is  in  both  our 
minds,"  he  said. 

117 


PRINCE  OTTO 

**Herr  von  Gondremark,"  she  replied,  "by  all  that  I 
hold  sacred,  I  have  none;  I  do  not  think  at  all;  I  am 
crushed." 

**You  are  looking  at  the  passionate  side  of  a  rich 
nature,  misunderstood  and  recently  insulted,"  said  the 
Baron.     '*  Look  into  your  intellect,  and  tell  me." 

'M  find  nothing,  nothing  but  tumult,"  she  replied. 

**  You  find  one  word  branded,  madam,"  returned  the 
Baron:  "  'Abdication!'" 

"O!"  she  cried.  ''The  coward!  He  leaves  me  to 
bear  all,  and  in  the  hour  of  trial  he  stabs  me  from  behind. 
There  is  nothing  in  him,  not  respect,  not  love,  not  cour- 
age—  his  wife,  his  dignity,  his  throne,  the  honour  of 
his  father,  he  forgets  them  all !  " 

"Yes,"  pursued  the  Baron,  "the  word  Abdication. 
I  perceive  a  glimmering  there." 

' '  I  read  your  fancy, "  she  returned.  "  It  is  mere  mad- 
ness, midsummer  madness.  Baron,  I  am  more  unpop- 
ular than  he.  You  know  it.  They  can  excuse,  they 
can  love,  his  weakness;  but  me,  they  hate." 

"Such  is  the  gratitude  of  peoples,"  said  the  Baron. 
"  But  we  trifle.  Here,  madam,  are  my  plain  thoughts. 
The  man  who  in  the  hour  of  danger  speaks  of  abdication 
is,  for  me,  a  venomous  animal.  I  speak  with  the  blunt- 
ness  of  gravity,  madam ;  this  is  no  hour  for  mincing. 
The  coward,  in  a  station  of  authority,  is  more  danger- 
ous than  fire.  We  dwell  on  a  volcano ;  if  this  man  can 
have  his  way,  Grunewald  before  a  week  will  have  been 
deluged  with  innocent  blood.  You  know  the  truth  of 
what  I  say;  we  have  looked  unblenching  into  this  ever- 
possible  catastrophe.  To  him  it  is  nothing:  he  will  ab- 
dicate!    Abdicate,  just  God !  and  this  unhappy  country 

u8 


THE  PARTY  OF  WAR  TAKES  ACTION 

committed  to  his  charge,  and  the  lives  of  men  and  the 
honour  of  women  ..."  His  voice  appeared  to  fail 
him;  in  an  instant  he  had  conquered  his  emotion  and 
resumed:  **But  you,  madam,  conceive  more  worthily 
of  your  responsibilities.  I  am  with  you  in  the  thought; 
and  in  the  face  of  the  horrors  that  I  see  impending,  I 
say,  and  your  heart  repeats  it  —  we  have  gone  too  far 
to  pause.  Honour,  duty,  ay,  and  the  care  of  our  own 
lives,  demand  we  should  proceed." 

She  was  looking  at  him,  her  brow  thoughtfully  knitted. 
*M  feel  it,"  she  said.     ''But  how  .^    He  has  the  power." 

''The  power,  madam  ?  The  power  is  in  the  army," 
he  replied;  and  then  hastily,  ere  she  could  intervene, 
"we  have  to  save  ourselves,"  he  went  on;  "1  have  to 
save  my  Princess,  she  has  to  save  her  minister;  we  have 
both  of  us  to  save  this  infatuated  youth  from  his  own 
madness.  He  in  the  outbreak  would  be  the  earliest  vic- 
tim; I  see  him,"  he  cried,  "torn  in  pieces;  and  Grune- 
wald,  unhappy  Grunewald!  Nay,  madam,  you  who 
have  the  power  must  use  it;  it  lies  hard  upon  your  con- 
science." 

"Show  me  how!"  she  cried.  "Suppose  I  were  to 
place  him  under  some  constraint,  the  revolution  would 
break  upon  us  instantly." 

The  Baron  feigned  defeat.  "It  is  true,"  he  said. 
"You  see  more  clearly  than  I  do.  Yet  there  should, 
there  must  be,  some  way."  And  he  waited  for  his 
chance. 

' ' No, "  she  said ;  "I  told  you  from  the  first  there  is  no 
remedy.  Our  hopes  are  lost :  lost  by  one  miserable  trifler, 
ignorant,  fretful,  fitful  —  who  will  have  disappeared 
to-morrow,  who  knows  }  to  his  boorish  pleasures !  " 

119 


PRINCE  OTTO 

Any  peg  would  do  for  Gondremark.  ' '  The  thing ! "  he 
cried,  striking  his  brow.  "Fool,  not  to  have  thought 
of  it!  Madam,  without  perhaps  knowing  it,  you  have 
solved  our  problem." 

''  What  do  you  mean  ?    Speak!  "  she  said. 

He  appeared  to  collect  himself;  and  then,  with  a  smile, 
** The  Prince,"  he  said,  "must  go  once  more  a-hunting." 

"Ay,  if  he  would!  "  cried  she,  "and  stay  there!" 

"And  stay  there,"  echoed  the  Baron.  It  was  so  sig- 
nificantly said,  that  her  face  changed ;  and  the  schemer, 
fearful  of  the  sinister  ambiguity  of  his  expressions,  has- 
tened to  explain.  "This  time  he  shall  go  hunting  in  a 
carriage,  with  a  good  escort  of  our  foreign  lancers.  His 
destination  shall  be  the  Felsenburg;  it  is  healthy,  the 
rock  is  high,  the  windows  are  small  and  barred ;  it  might 
have  been  built  on  purpose.  We  shall  entrust  the  cap- 
taincy to  the  Scotchman  Gordon ;  he  at  least  will  have 
no  scruple.  Who  will  miss  the  sovereign  ?  He  is  gone 
hunting;  he  came  home  on  Tuesday,  on  Thursday  he 
returned ;  all  is.usual  in  that.  Meanwhile  the  war  pro- 
ceeds; our  Prince  will  soon  weary  of  his  solitude;  and 
about  the  time  of  our  triumph,  or,  if  he  prove  very  ob- 
stinate, a  little  later,  he  shall  be  released  upon  a  proper 
understanding,  and  I  see  him  once  more  directing  his 
theatricals." 

Seraphina  sat  gloomy,  plunged  in  thought.  "  Yes," 
she  said  suddenly,  "and  the  despatch?  He  is  now 
writing  it." 

"It  cannot  pass  the  council  before  Friday,"  replied 
Gondremark;  "and  as  for  any  private  note,  the  mes- 
sengers are  all  at  my  disposal.  They  are  picked  men, 
madam.     I  am  a  person  of  precaution." 

120 


THE  PARTY  OF  WAR  TAKES  ACTION 

'Mt  would  appear  so,"  she  said,  with  a  flash  of  her 
occasional  repugnance  to  the  man;  and  then  after  a 
pause,  '*Herr  von  Gondremark,"  she  added,  *M  recoil 
from  this  extremity." 

"  1  share  your  Highness's  repugnance,"  answered  he. 
''But  what  would  you  have.^  We  are  defenceless, 
else." 

''I  see  it,  but  this  is  sudden.  It  is  a  public  crime," 
she  said,  nodding  at  him  with  a  sort  of  horror. 

"  Look  but  a  little  deeper,"  he  returned,  *'and  whose 
is  the  crime?" 

''His!  "she  cried.  "His,  before  God!  And  I  hold 
him  liable.     But  still " 

"It  is  not  as  if  he  would  be  harmed,"  submitted 
Gondremark. 

"I  know  it,"  she  replied,  but  it  was  still  unheartily. 

And  then,  as  brave  men  are  entitled,  by  prescriptive 
right  as  old  as  the  world's  history,  to  the  alliance  and 
the  active  help  of  Fortune,  the  punctual  goddess  stepped 
down  from  the  machine.  One  of  the  Princess's  ladies 
begged  to  enter;  a  man,  it  appeared,  had  brought  a  line 
for  the  Freiherr  von  Gondremark.  It  proved  to  be  a 
pencil  billet,  which  the  crafty  Greisengesang  had  found 
the  means  to  scribble  and  despatch  under  the  very  guns 
of  Otto ;  and  the  daring  of  the  act  bore  testimony  to 
the  terror  of  the  actor.  For  Greisengesang  had  but  one 
influential  motive:  fear.  The  note  ran  thus:  "At  the 
first  council,  procuration  to  be  withdrawn. —  Corn. 
Greis. 

So,  after  three  years  of  exercise,  the  right  of  signa- 
ture was  to  be  stript  from  Seraphina.  It  was  more  than 
an  insult;  it  was  a  public  disgrace;  and  she  did  not 


PRINCE  OTTO 

pause  to  consider  how  she  had  earned  it,  but  morally 
bounded  under  the  attack  as  bounds  the  wounded  tiger. 

''Enough,"  she  said;  ''  I  will  sign  the  order.  When 
shall  he  leave  .^" 

**  It  will  take  me  twelve  hours  to  collect  my  men,  and 
it  had  best  be  done  at  night.  To-morrow  midnight,  if 
you  please?"  answered  the  Baron. 

**  Excellent,"  she  said.  "  My  door  is  always  open  to 
you.  Baron.  As  soon  as  the  order  is  prepared,  bring  it 
me  to  sign." 

*' Madam,"  he  said,  ''alone  of  all  of  us  you  do  not 
risk  your  head  in  this  adventure.  For  that  reason,  and 
to  prevent  all  hesitation,  I  venture  to  propose  the  order 
should  be  in  your  hand  throughout." 

"You  are  right,"  she  replied. 

He  laid  a  form  before  her,  and  she  wrote  the  order 
in  a  clear  hand,  and  re-read  it.  Suddenly  a  cruel  smile 
came  on  her  face.  "I  had  forgotten  his  puppet,"  said 
she.  "They  will  keep  each  other  company."  And  she 
interlined  and  initialed  the  condemnation  of  Doctor 
Gotthold. 

"Your  Highness  has  more  memory  than  your  serv- 
ant," said  the  Baron;  and  then  he,  in  his  turn,  carefully 
perused  the  fateful  paper.     "  Good ! "  said  he. 

"  You  will  appear  in  the  drawing-room.  Baron  ?"  she 
asked. 

"I  thought  it  better,"  said  he,  "to  avoid  the  possi- 
bility of  a  public  affront.  Anything  that  shook  my 
credit  might  hamper  us  in  the  immediate  future." 

"  You  are  right,"  she  said;  and  she  held  out  her  hand 
as  to  an  old  friend  and  equal. 


122 


CHAPTER  IX 


BEFORE  A  FALL. 


The  pistol  had  been  practically  fired.  Under  ordinary 
circumstances  the  scene  at  the  council  table  would  have 
entirely  exhausted  Otto's  store  both  of  energy  and  an- 
ger; he  would  have  begun  to  examine  and  condemn 
his  conduct,  have  remembered  all  that  was  true,  forgot- 
ten all  that  was  unjust  in  Seraphina's  onslaught;  and  by 
half  an  hour  after,  would  have  fallen  into  that  state  of 
mind  in  which  a  Catholic  flees  to  the  confessional  and  a 
sot  takes  refuge  with  the  bottle.  Two  matters  of  de- 
tail preserved  his  spirits.  For,  first,  he  had  still  an  in- 
finity of  business  to  transact;  and  to  transact  business, 
for  a  man  of  Otto's  neglectful  and  procrastinating  hab- 
its, is  the  best  anodyne  for  conscience.  All  afternoon 
he  was  hard  at  it  with  the  Chancellor,  reading,  dictat- 
ing, signing,  and  despatching  papers;  and  this  kept  him 
in  a  glow  of  self-approval.  But,  secondly,  his  vanity 
was  still  alarmed;  he  had  failed  to  get  the  money;  to- 
morrow before  noon  he  would  have  to  disappoint  old 
Killian ;  and  in  the  eyes  of  that  family  which  counted 
him  so  little,  and  to  which  he  had  sought  to  play  the 
part  of  the  heroic  comforter,  he  must  sink  lower  than 
at  first.  To  a  man  of  Otto's  temper,  this  was  death. 
He  could  not  accept  the  situation.  And  even  as  he 
worked,  and  worked  wisely  and  well,  over  the  hated 

123 


PRINCE  OTTO 

details  of  his  principality,  he  was  secretly  maturing  a 
plan  by  which  to  turn  the  situation.  It  was  a  scheme 
as  pleasing  to  the  man  as  it  was  dishonourable  in  the 
prince;  in  which  his  frivolous  nature  found  and  took 
vengeance  for  the  gravity  and  burthen  of  the  afternoon. 
He  chuckled  as  he  thought  of  it:  and  Greisengesang 
heard  him  with  wonder,  and  attributed  his  lively  spirits 
to  the  skirmish  of  the  morning. 

Led  by  this  idea,  the  antique  courtier  ventured  to  com- 
pliment his  sovereign  on  his  bearing.  It  reminded  him, 
he  said,  of  Otto's  father. 

''What.?"  asked  the  Prince,  whose  thoughts  were 
miles  away. 

''Your  Highness's  authority  at  the  board,"  explained 
the  flatterer. 

"O,  that!  O  yes,"  returned  Otto;  but  for  all  his 
carelessness,  his  vanity  was  delicately  tickled,  and  his 
mind  returned  and  dwelt  approvingly  over  the  details 
of  his  victory.     "I  quelled  them  all,"  he  thought. 

When  the  more  pressing  matters  had  been  dismissed, 
it  was  already  late,  and  Otto  kept  the  Chancellor  to 
dinner,  and  was  entertained  with  a  leash  of  ancient  his- 
tories and  modern  compliments.  The  Chancellor's  ca- 
reer had  been  based,  from  the  first  off-put,  on  entire 
subserviency;  he  had  crawled  into  honours  and  em- 
ployments; and  his  mind  was  prostitute.  The  instinct 
of  the  creature  served  him  well  with  Otto.  First,  he  let 
fall  a  sneering  word  or  two  upon  the  female  intellect; 
thence  he  proceeded  to  a  closer  engagement ;  and  before 
the  third  course  he  was  artfully  dissecting  Seraphina's 
character  to  her  approving  husband.  Of  course  no 
names  were  used ;  and  of  course  the  identity  of  that  ab- 

124 


THE   PRICE  OF  THE   RIVER  FARM 

stract  or  ideal  man,  with  whom  she  was  currently  con- 
trasted, remained  an  open  secret.  But  this  stiff  old  gen- 
tleman  had  a  wonderful  instinct  for  evil,  thus  to  wind 
his  way  into  man's  citadel ;  thus  to  harp  by  the  hour  on 
the  virtues  of  his  hearer  and  not  once  alarm  his  self-re- 
spect. Otto  was  all  roseate,  in  and  out,  with  flattery  and 
Tokay  and  an  approving  conscience.  He  saw  himself  in 
the  most  attractive  colours.  If  even  Greisengesang,  he 
thought,  could  thus  espy  the  loose  stitches  in  Seraphina's 
character,  and  thus  disloyally  impart  them  to  the  oppo- 
site camp,  he,  the  discarded  husband — the  dispossessed 
Prince  —  could  scarce  have  erred  on  the  side  of  severity. 

In  this  excellent  frame  he  bade  adieu  to  the  old 
gentleman,  whose  voice  had  proved  so  musical,  and 
set  forth  for  the  drawing-room.  Already  on  the  stair, 
he  was  seized  with  some  compunction;  but  when  he 
entered  the  great  gallery  and  beheld  his  wife,  the  Chan- 
cellor's abstract  flatteries  fell  from  him  like  rain,  and  he 
re-awoke  to  the  poetic  facts  of  life.  She  stood  a  good 
way  off  below  a  shining  lustre,  her  back  turned.  The 
bend  of  her  waist  overcame  him  with  a  physical  weak- 
ness. This  was  the  girl-wife  who  had  lain  in  his  arms 
and  whom  he  had  sworn  to  cherish ;  there  was  she, 
who  was  better  than  success. 

It  was  Seraphina  who  restored  him  from  the  blow. 
She  swam  forward  and  smiled  upon  her  husband  with 
a  sweetness  that  was  insultingly  artificial.  '*  Frederic," 
she  lisped,  "  you  are  late."  It  was  a  scene  of  high 
comedy,  such  as  is  proper  to  unhappy  marriages;  and 
her  aplomb  disgusted  him. 

There  was  no  etiquette  at  these  small  drawing- 
rooms.     People  came  and  went  at  pleasure.    The  win- 

125 


PRINCE  OTTO 

dow  embrasures  became  the  roost  of  happy  couples ;  at 
the  great  chimney,  the  talkers  mostly  congregated, 
each  full-charged  with  scandal;  and  down  at  the  farther 
end  the  gamblers  gambled.  It  was  towards  this  point 
that  Otto  moved,  not  ostentatiously,  but  with  a  gentle 
insistence,  and  scattering  attentions  as  he  went.  Once 
abreast  of  the  card-table,  he  placed  himself  opposite  to 
Madame  von  Rosen,  and,  as  soon  as  he  had  caught  her 
eye,  withdrew  to  the  embrasure  of  a  window.  There 
she  had  speedily  joined  him. 

**  You  did  well  to  xall  me,"  she  said,  a  little  wildly. 
''These  cards  will  be  my  ruin." 

*'  Leave  them,"  said  Otto. 

**  11 "  she  cried,  and  laughed;  ''they  are  my  destiny. 
My  only  chance  was  to  die  of  a  consumption ;  now  I 
must  die  in  a  garret." 

"  You  are  bitter  to-night,"  said  Otto. 

"I  have  been  losing,"  she  replied.  "You  do  not 
know  what  greed  is." 

"  I  have  come,  then,  in  an  evil  hour,"  said  he. 

"Ah,  you  wish  a  favour!"  she  cried,  brightening 
beautifully. 

"  Madam,"  said  he,  "I  am  about  to  found  my  party, 
and  I  come  to  you  for  a  recruit." 

"  Done,"  said  the  Countess.     "  I  am  a  man  again." 

"  I  may  be  wrong,"  continued  Otto,  "but  I  believe 
upon  my  heart  you  wish  me  no  ill." 

"  I  wish  you  so  well,"  she  said,  "  that  I  dare  not  tell 
it  you." 

"  Then  if  I  ask  my  favour  ?"  quoth  the  Prince. 

'  *  Ask  it,  mon  Prince, ' '  she  answered.  '  *  Whatever  it 
is,  it  is  granted." 

126 


THE   PRICE  OF  THE   RIVER  FARM 

**  I  wish  you,"  he  returned,  "  this  very  night  to  make 
the  farmer  of  our  talk." 

"Heaven  knows  your  meaning!"  she  exclaimed. 
'*  I  know  not,  neither  care;  there  are  no  bounds  to  my 
desire  to  please  you.     Call  him  made." 

**  I  will  put  it  in  another  way,"  returned  Otto.  "  Did 
you  ever  steal  ?" 

**  Often!"  cried  the  Countess.  "I  have  broken  all 
the  ten  commandments;  and  if  there  were  more  to- 
morrow I  should  not  sleep  till  I  had  broken  these." 

"  This  is  a  case  of  burglary:  to  say  truth,  I  thought 
it  would  amuse  you,"  said  the  Prince. 

"1  have  no  practical  experience,"  she  replied,  ''but 
O!  the  good-will!  I  have  broken  a  work-box  in  my 
time,  and  several  hearts,  my  own  included.  Never  a 
house!  But  it  cannot  be  difficult;  sins  are  so  unroman- 
tically  easy !     What  are  we  to  break  ?  " 

''Madam,  we  are  to  break  the  treasury,"  said  Otto; 
and  he  sketched  to  her  briefly,  wittily,  with  here  and 
there  a  touch  of  pathos,  the  story  of  his  visit  to  the 
farm,  of  his  promise  to  buy  it,  and  of  the  refusal  with 
which  his  demand  for  money  had  been  met  that  morn- 
ing at  the  council;  concluding  with  a  few  practical 
words  as  to  the  treasury  windows,  and  the  helps  and 
hindrances  of  the  proposed  exploit. 

"They  refused  you  the  money,"  she  said,  when  he 
had  done.     "  And  you  accepted  the  refusal  ?    Well!  " 

"They  gave  their  reasons,"  replied  Otto,  colouring. 
"They  were  not  such  as  I  could  combat;  and  I  am 
driven  to  dilapidate  the  funds  of  my  own  country  by  a 
theft.     It  is  not  dignified;  but  it  is  fun." 

"Fun,"  she  said;  "yes."  And  then  she  remained 
127 


PRINCE  OTTO 

silently  plunged  in  thought  for  an  appreciable  time. 
"  How  much  do  you  require  ?"  she  asked  at  length. 

"Three  thousand  crowns  will  do,"  he  answered, 
'*  for  1  have  still  some  money  of  my  own." 

''Excellent,"  she  said,  regaining  her  levity.  ''I  am 
your  true  accomplice.     And  where  are  we  to  meet }  " 

''  You  know  the  Flying  Mercury,"  he  answered,  *'  in 
the  Park.?  Three  pathways  intersect;  there  they  have 
made  a  seat  and  raised  the  statue.  The  spot  is  handy, 
and  the  deity  congenial." 

''Child,"  she  said,  and  tapped  him  with  her  fan. 
"But  do  you  know,  my  Prince,you  are  an  egoist — your 
handy  trysting-place  is  miles  from  me.  You  must  give 
me  ample  time ;  I  cannot,  I  think,  possibly  be  there  be- 
fore two.  But  as  the  bell  beats  two,  your  helper  shall 
arrive:  welcome,  I  trust.  Stay  —  do  you  bring  any  one?" 
she  added.  "  O,  it  is  not  for  a  chaperone  —  I  am  not 
a  prude! " 

"I  shall  bring  a  groom  of  mine,"  said  Otto.  "I 
caught  him  stealing  corn." 

"  His  name  .?"  she  asked. 

"  I  profess  I  know  not.  I  am  not  yet  intimate  with 
my  corn-stealer,"  returned  the  Prince.  "It  was  in  a 
professional  capacity " 

"  Like  me!  Flatterer!  "  she  cried.  "  But  oblige  me 
in  one  thing.  Let  me  find  you  waiting  at  the  seat  — 
yes,  you  shall  await  me;  for  on  this  expedition  it  shall 
be  no  longer  Prince  and  Countess,  it  shall  be  the  lady 
and  the  squire  —  and  your  friend  the  thief  shall  be  no 
nearer  than  the  fountain.     Do  you  promise  ?  " 

"Madam,  in  everything  you  are  to  command;  you 
shall  be  captain,  I  am  but  supercargo,"  answered  Otto. 

128 


THE  PRICE  OF  THE   RIVER   FARM 

"Well,  Heaven  bring  all  safe  to  port!"  she  said. 
"  It  is  not  Friday!" 

Something  in  her  manner  had  puzzled  Otto,  had  pos- 
sibly touched  him  with  suspicion. 

*Ms  it  not  strange,"  he  remarked,  ''that  I  should 
choose  my  accomplice  from  the  other  camp  ?  " 

"Fool!"  she  said.  "But  it  is  your  only  wisdom 
that  you  know  your  friends."  And  suddenly,  in  the 
vantage  of  the  deep  window,  she  caught  up  his  hand 
and  kissed  it  with  a  sort  of  passion.  "  Now,  go,"  she 
added,  "  go  at  once." 

He  went,  somewhat  staggered,  doubting  in  his  heart 
that  he  was  overbold.  For  in  that  moment  she  had 
flashed  upon  him  like  a  jewel;  and  even  through  the 
strong  panoply  of  a  previous  love  he  had  been  conscious 
of  a  shock.     Next  moment  he  had  dismissed  the  fear. 

Both  Otto  and  the  Countess  retired  early  from  the 
drawing-room ;  and  the  Prince,  after  an  elaborate  feint, 
dismissed  his  valet  and  went  forth  by  the  private  pas- 
sage and  the  back  postern  in  quest  of  the  groom. 

Once  more  the  stable  was  in  darkness,  once  more 
Otto  employed  the  talismanic  knock,  and  once  more  the 
groom  appeared  and  sickened  with  terror. 

"Good  evening,  friend,"  said  Otto,  pleasantly.  "I 
want  you  to  bring  a  corn  sack  —  empty  this  time  —  and 
to  accompany  me.     We  shall  be  gone  all  night." 

"Your  Highness,"  groaned  the  man,  "I  have  the 
charge  of  the  small  stables.     I  am  here  alone." 

"  Come,"  said  the  Prince,  "  you  are  no  such  martinet 
in  duty."  And  then  seeing  that  the  man  was  shaking 
from  head  to  foot.  Otto  laid  a  hand  upon  his  shoulder. 
"If  I  meant  you  harm,"  he  said,  "should  I  be  here?" 

129 


PRINCE  OTTO 

The  fellow  became  instantly  reassured.  He  got  the 
sack;  and  Otto  led  him  round  by  several  paths  and  ave- 
nues, conversing  pleasantly  by  the  way,  and  left  him  at 
last  planted  by  a  certain  fountain  where  a  goggle-eyed 
Triton  spouted  intermittently  into  a  rippling  laver. 
Thence  he  proceeded  alone  to  where,  in  a  round  clear- 
ing, a  copy  of  Gian  Bologna's  Mercury  stood  tiptoe  in 
the  twilight  of  the  stars.  The  night  was  warm  and 
windless.  A  shaving  of  new  moon  had  lately  arisen ; 
but  it  was  still  too  small  and  too  low  down  in  heaven 
to  contend  with  the  immense  host  of  lesser  luminaries; 
and  the  rough  face  of  the  earth  was  drenched  with  star- 
light. Down  one  of  the  alleys,  which  widened  as  it  re- 
ceded, he  could  see  a  part  of  the  lamplit  terrace  where 
a  sentry  silently  paced,  and  beyond  that  a  corner  of  the 
tov/n  with  interlacing  street-lights.  But  all  around  him 
the  young  trees  stood  mystically  blurred  in  the  dim 
shine;  and  in  the  stock-still  quietness  the  up-leaping 
god  appeared  alive. 

In  this  dimness  and  silence  of  the  night,  Otto's  con- 
science became  suddenly  and  staringly  luminous  like 
the  dial  of  a  city  clock.  He  averted  the  eyes  of  his  mind, 
but  the  finger,  rapidly  travelling,  pointed  to  a  series  of 
misdeeds  that  took  his  breath  away.  What  was  he 
doing  in  that  place  ?  The  money  had  been  wrongly 
squandered,  but  that  was  largely  by  his  own  neglect. 
And  he  now  proposed  to  embarrass  the  finances  of  this 
country  which  he  had  been  too  idle  to  govern.  And 
he  now  proposed  to  squander  the  money  once  again, 
and  this  time  for  a  private,  if  a  generous  end.  And  the 
man  whom  he  had  reproved  for  stealing  corn,  he  was 
now  to  set  stealing  treasure.     And  then  there  was  Ma- 

130 


THE   PRICE  OF  THE   RIVER   FARM 

dame  von  Rosen,  upon  whom  he  looked  down  with 
some  of  that  ill-favoured  contempt  of  the  chaste  male 
for  the  imperfect  woman.  Because  he  thought  of 
her  as  one  degraded  below  scruples,  he  had  picked  her 
out  to  be  still  more  degraded,  and  to  risk  her  whole 
irregular  establishment  in  life  by  complicity  in  this  dis- 
honourable act.     It  was  uglier  than  a  seduction. 

Otto  had  to  walk  very  briskly  and  whistle  very  busily ; 
and  when  at  last  he  heard  steps  in  the  narrowest  and 
darkest  of  the  alleys,  it  was  with  a  gush  of  relief  that 
he  sprang  to  meet  the  Countess.  To  wrestle  alone  with 
one's  good  angel  is  so  hard!  and  so  precious,  at  the 
proper  time,  is  a  companion  certain  to  be  less  virtuous 
than  oneself! 

It  was  a  young  man  who  came  towards  him  —  a 
young  man  of  small  stature  and  a  peculiar  gait,  wear- 
ing a  wide  flapping  hat,  and  carrying,  with  great  weari- 
ness, a  heavy  bag.  Otto  recoiled ;  but  the  young  man 
held  up  his  hand  by  way  of  signal,  and  coming  up  with 
a  panting  run,  as  if  with  the  last  of  his  endurance,  laid 
the  bag  upon  the  ground,  threw  himself  upon  the  bench, 
and  disclosed  the  features  of  Madame  von  Rosen. 

''You,  Countess!"  cried  the  Prince. 

**No,  no,"  she  panted,  ''the  Count  von  Rosen  —  my 
young  brother.  A  capital  fellow.  Let  him  get  his 
breath." 

"Ah,  madam    .     .     ."  said  he. 

"Call  me  Count,"  she  returned,  "respect  my  in- 
cognito." 

"Count  be  it,  then,"  he  replied.  "  And  let  me  im- 
plore that  gallant  gentleman  to  set  forth  at  once  on  our 

enterprise." 

131 


PRINCE  OTTO 

"  Sit  down  beside  me  here,"  she  returned,  patting  the 
further  corner  of  the  bench.  "I  will  follow  you  in  a 
moment.  O,  I  am  so  tired  —  feel  how  my  heart  leaps! 
Where  is  your  thief  .^" 

'  *  At  his  post, "  replied  Otto.  * '  Shall  I  introduce  him  ? 
He  seems  an  excellent  companion." 

"No,"  she  said,  **do  not  hurry  me  yet.  I  must 
speak  to  you.  Not  but  I  adore  your  thief;  I  adore  any 
one  who  has  the  spirit  to  do  wrong.  I  never  cared  for 
virtue  till  I  fell  in  love  with  my  Prince."  She  laughed 
musically.  "And  even  so,  it  is  not  for  your  virtues," 
she  added. 

Otto  was  embarrassed.  "And  now,"  he  asked,  "if 
you  are  anyway  rested  ?  " 

"Presently,  presently.  Let  me  breathe,"  she  said, 
panting  a  little  harder  than  before. 

"  And  what  has  so  wearied  you  ?  "  he  asked.  "  This 
bag  ?  And  why,  in  the  name  of  eccentricity,  a  bag  ? 
For  an  empty  one,  you  might  have  relied  on  my  own 
foresight;  and  this  one  is  very  far  from  being  empty. 
My  dear  Count,  with  what  trash  have  you  come  laden  ? 
But  the  shortest  method  is  to  see  for  myself."  And  he 
put  down  his  hand. 

She  stopped  him  at  once.  "  Otto,"  she  said,  "no  — 
not  that  way.  I  will  tell,  I  will  make  a  clean  breast.  It 
is  done  already.  I  have  robbed  the  treasury  single- 
handed.  There  are  three  thousand  two  hundred  crowns. 
O,  I  trust  it  is  enough ! " 

Her  embarrassment  was  so  obvious  that  the  Prince 
was  struck  into  a  muse,  gazing  in  her  face,  with  his 
hand  still  outstretched,  and  she  still  holding  him  by  the 
wrist.     "  You!  "  he  said,  at  last.     "  How  ?  "    And  then 

132 


THE  PRICE  OF  THE  RIVER  FARM 

drawing  himself  up,  ''O  madam,"  he  cried,  "  I  under- 
stand.    You  must  indeed  think  meanly  of  the  Prince." 

'*  Well  then,  it  was  a  lie !  "  she  cried.  "  The  money 
is  mine,  honestly  my  own  —  now  yours.  This  was  an 
unworthy  act  that  you  proposed.  But  I  love  your  hon- 
our, and  I  swore  to  myself  that  I  should  save  it  in  your 
teeth.  I  beg  of  you  to  let  me  save  it "  —  with  a  sudden 
lovely  change  of  tone.  "Otto,  I  beseech  you  let  me 
save  it.  Take  this  dross  from  your  poor  friend  who 
loves  you! " 

**  Madam,  madam,"  babbled  Otto,  in  the  extreme  of 
misery,  "I  cannot — I  must  go." 

And  he  half  rose;  but  she  was  on  the  ground  before 
him  in  an  instant,  clasping  his  knees.  **No,"  she 
gasped,  ''  you  shall  not  go.  Do  you  despise  me  so  en- 
tirely ?  It  is  dross ;  I  hate  it ;  I  should  squander  it  at 
play  and  be  no  richer;  it  is  an  investment;  it  is  to  save 
me  from  ruin.  Otto,"  she  cried,  as  he  again  feebly 
tried  to  put  her  from  him,  "if  you  leave  me  alone  in 
this  disgrace,  I  will  die  here!"  He  groaned  aloud. 
"O,"  she  said,  "think  what  I  suffer!  If  you  suffer  from 
a  piece  of  delicacy,  think  what  I  suffer  in  my  shame  I 
To  have  my  trash  refused!  You  would  rather  steal, 
you  think  of  me  so  basely !  You  would  rather  tread  my 
heart  in  pieces!  O,  unkind!  O  my  Prince!  O  Otto! 
O  pity  me!"  She  was  still  clasping  him;  then  she 
found  his  hand  and  covered  it  with  kisses,  and  at  this 
his  head  began  to  turn.  "  O,"  she  cried  again,  "I  see 
it!  O  what  a  horror!  It  is  because  I  am  old,  because  I 
am  no  longer  beautiful."  And  she  burst  into  a  storm 
of  sobs. 

This  was  the  coup  de  grace.  Otto  had  now  to  com- 
133 


PRINCE   OTTO 

fort  and  compose  her  as  he  could,  and  before  many 
words,  the  money  was  accepted.  Between  the  woman 
and  the  weak  man  such  was  the  inevitable  end.  Ma- 
dame von  Rosen  instantly  composed  her  sobs.  She 
thanked  him  with  a  fluttering  voice,  and  resumed  her 
place  upon  the  bench  at  the  far  end  from  Otto.  ''  NoW' 
you  see,"  she  said,  "  why  1  bade  you  keep  the  thief  at 
distance,  and  why  1  came  alone.  How  I  trembled  for 
my  treasure !  " 

**  Madam,"  said  Otto,  with  a  tearful  whimper  in  his 
voice,  ''spare  me!    You  are  too  good,  too  noble!  " 

"  I  wonder  to  hear  you,"  she  returned.  ''  You  have 
avoided  a  great  folly.  You  will  be  able  to  meet  your 
good  old  peasant.  You  have  found  an  excellent  invest- 
ment for  a  friend's  money.  You  have  preferred  essential 
kindness  to  an  empty  scruple ;  and  now  you  are  ashamed 
of  it !  You  have  made  your  friend  happy ;  and  now  you 
mourn  as  the  dove!  Come,  cheer  up.  I  know  it  is 
depressing  to  have  done  exactly  right;  but  you  need  not 
make  a  practice  of  it.  Forgive  yourself  this  virtue; 
come  now,  look  me  in  the  face  and  smile!  " 

He  did  look  at  her.  When  a  man  has  been  embraced 
by  a  woman,  he  sees  her  in  a  glamour;  and  at  such  a 
time,  in  the  baffling  glimmer  of  the  stars,  she  will  look 
wildly  well.  The  hair  is  touched  with  light;  the  eyes 
are  constellations ;  the  face  sketched  in  shadows  —  a 
sketch,  you  might  say,  by  passion.  Otto  became  con- 
soled for  his  defeat ;  he  began  to  take  an  interest.  ' '  No, " 
he  said,  "  I  am  no  ingrate." 

"You  promised  me  fun,"  she  returned,  with  a 
laugh.  "  I  have  given  you  as  good.  We  have  had  a 
stormy  scene." 

»34 


THE   PRICE  OF  THE   RIVER   FARM 

He  laughea  in  his  turn,  and  the  sound  of  the  laughter, 
in  either  case,  was  hardly  reassuring. 

"  Come,  what  are  you  going  to  give  me  in  ex- 
change," she  continued,  **for  my  excellent  declama- 
tion ?  " 

''What  you  will,"  he  said. 

*'  Whatever  I  will  ?  Upon  your  honour  ?  Suppose  I 
asked  the  crown  ?  "  She  was  flashing  upon  him,  beau- 
tiful in  triumph. 

"Upon  my  honour,"  he  replied. 

"Shall  I  ask  the  crown  .^"  she  continued.  "Nay; 
what  should  I  do  with  it  ?  Grunewald  is  but  a  petty 
state ;  my  ambition  swells  above  it.  I  shall  ask  —  I  find 
I  want  nothing,"  she  concluded.  "I  will  give  you 
something  instead.  I  will  give  you  leave  to  kiss  me  — 
once." 

Otto  drew  near,  and  she  put  up  her  face ;  they  were 
both  smiling,  both  on  the  brink  of  laughter,  all  was  so 
innocent  and  playful;  and  the  Prince,  when  their  lips 
encountered,  was  dumbfounded  by  the  sudden  convul- 
sion of  his  being.  Both  drew  instantly  apart,  and  for 
an  appreciable  time  sat  tongue-tied.  Otto  was  indis- 
tinctly conscious  of  a  peril  in  the  silence,  but  could  find 
no  words  to  utter.     Suddenly  the  Countess  seemed  to 

awake.     "  As  for  your  wife "  she  began  in  a  clear 

and  steady  voice. 

The  word  recalled  Otto,  with  a  shudder,  from  his 
trance.  "I  will  hear  nothing  against  my  wife,"  he 
cried  wildly;  and  then,  recovering  himself  and  in  a 
kindlier  tone,  "  I  will  tell  you  my  one  secret,"  he  added. 
"1  love  my  wife." 

"You  should  have  let  me  finish,"  she  returned,  smil- 

135 


PRINCE  OTTO 

ing.  *'Do  you  suppose  I  did  not  mention  her  on  pur- 
pose ?  You  know  you  had  lost  your  head.  Well,  so 
had  I.  Come  now,  do  not  be  abashed  by  words,"  she 
added,  somewhat  sharply.  "It  is  the  one  thing  I  de- 
spise. If  you  are  not  a  fool,  you  will  see  that  I  am 
building  fortresses  about  your  virtue.  And  at  any  rate, 
I  choose  that  you  shall  understand  that  I  am  not  dying 
of  love  for  you.  It  is  a  very  smiling  business ;  no  tragedy 
for  me!  And  now  here  is  what  I  have  to  say  about 
your  wife:  She  is  not  and  she  never  has  been  Gondre- 
mark's  mistress.  Be  sure  he  would  have  boasted  if  she 
had.     Good-night!" 

And  in  a  moment  she  was  gone  down  the  alley,  and 
Otto  was  alone  with  the  bag  of  money  and  the  flying 
god. 


lye 


CHAPTER  X 

gotthold's  revised  opinion  ;  and  the  fall  completed 

The  Countess  left  poor  Otto  with  a  caress  and  buffet 
simultaneously  administered.  The  welcome  word  about 
his  wife  and  the  virtuous  ending  of  his  interview  should 
doubtless  have  delighted  him.  But  for  all  that,  as  he 
shouldered  the  bag  of  money  and  set  forward  to  rejoin 
his  groom,  he  was  conscious  of  many  aching  sensibili- 
ties. To  have  gone  wrong  and  to  have  been  set  right, 
makes  but  a  double  trial  for  man's  vanity.  The  dis- 
covery of  his  own  weakness  and  possible  unfaith  had 
staggered  him  to  the  heart;  and  to  hear,  in  the  same 
hour,  of  his  wife's  fidelity  from  one  who  loved  her  not, 
increased  the  bitterness  of  the  surprise. 

He  was  about  halfway  between  the  fountain  and  the 
Flying  Mercury  before  his  thoughts  began  to  be  clear ;  and 
he  was  surprised  to  find  them  resentful.  He  paused  in 
a  kind  of  temper,  and  struck  with  his  hand  a  little  shrub. 
Thence  there  arose  instantly  a  cloud  of  awakened  spar- 
rows, which  as  instantly  dispersed  and  disappeared  in- 
to the  thicket.  He  looked  at  them  stupidly,  and  when 
they  were  gone  continued  staring  at  the  stars.  *'  I  am 
angry.  By  what  right .^  By  none!"  he  thought;  but 
he  was  still  angry.  He  cursed  Madame  von  Rosen  and 
instantly  repented.  Heavy  was  the  money  on  his 
shoulders. 

137 


PRINCE  OTTO 

When  he  reached  the  fountain,  he  did,  out  of  ill- 
humour  and  parade,  an  unpardonable  act.  He  gave  the 
money  bodily  to  the  dishonest  groom.  "  Keep  this  for 
me,"  he  said,  "until  I  call  for  it  to-morrow.  It  is  a 
great  sum,  and  by  that  you  will  judge  that  I  have  not 
condemned  you."  And  he  strode  away  ruffling,  as  if 
he  had  done  something  generous.  It  was  a  desperate 
stroke  to  re-enter  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  into  his 
self-esteem;  and,  like  all  such,  it  was  fruitless  in  the 
end.  He  got  to  bed  with  the  devil,  it  appeared :  kicked 
and  tumbled  till  the  grey  of  the  morning;  and  then  fell 
inopportunely  into  a  leaden  slumber,  and  awoke  to  find 
it  ten.  To  miss  the  appointment  with  old  Killian  after 
all,  had  been  too  tragic  a  miscarriage:  and  he  hurried 
with  all  his  might,  found  the  groom  (for  a  wonder) 
faithful  to  his  trust,  and  arrived  only  a  few  minutes  be- 
fore noon  in  the  guest-chamber  of  the  Morning  Star. 
Killian  was  there  in  his  Sunday's  best  and  looking  very 
gaunt  and  rigid;  a  lawyer  from  Brandenau  stood  sen- 
tinel over  his  outspread  papers ;  and  the  groom  and  the 
landlord  of  the  inn  were  called  to  serve  as  witnesses. 
The  obvious  deference  of  that  great  man,  the  innkeeper, 
plainly  affected  the  old  farmer  with  surprise;  but  it  was 
not  until  Otto  had  taken  the  pen  and  signed  that  the 
truth  flashed  upon  him  fully.  Then,  indeed,  he  was 
beside  himself. 

"His  Highness!"  he  cried,  "His  Highness!"  and 
repeated  the  exclamation  till  his  mind  had  grappled 
fairly  with  the  facts.  Then  he  turned  to  the  witnesses. 
"Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "you  dwell  in  a  country  highly 
favoured  by  God ;  for  of  all  generous  gentlemen,  I  will 
say  it  on  my  conscience,  this  one  is  the  king.     I  am  an 

138 


GOTTHOLD'S   REVISED   OPINION 

old  man,  and  I  have  seen  good  and  bad,  and  the  year 
of  the  great  famine ;  but  a  more  excellent  gentleman,  no, 
never." 

"  We  know  that,"  cried  the  landlord,  "  we  know  that 
well  in  Grunewald.  If  we  saw  more  of  his  Highness 
we  should  be  the  better  pleased." 

"  It  is  the  kindest  Prince,"  began  the  groom,  and  sud- 
denly closed  his  mouth  upon  a  sob,  so  that  every  one 
turned  to  gaze  upon  his  emotion.  Otto  not  last;  Otto 
struck  with  remorse,  to  see  the  man  so  grateful. 

Then  it  was  the  lawyer's  turn  to  pay  a  compliment. 
"I  do  not  know  what  Providence  may  hold  in  store," 
he  said,  **  but  this  day  should  be  a  bright  one  in  the  an- 
nals of  your  reign.  The  shouts  of  armies  could  not  be 
more  eloquent  than  the  emotion  on  these  honest  faces." 
And  the  Brandenau  lawyer  bowed,  skipped,  stepped 
back  and  took  snuff,  with  the  air  of  a  man  who  has 
found  and  seized  an  opportunity. 

''Well,  young  gentleman,"  said  Killian,  'Mf  you  will 
pardon  me  the  plainness  of  calling  you  a  gentleman, 
many  a  good  day's  work  you  have  done,  1  doubt  not, 
but  never  a  better,  or  one  that  will  be  better  blessed ; 
and  whatever,  sir,  may  be  your  happiness  and  triumph 
in  that  high  sphere  to  which  you  have  been  called,  it 
will  be  none  the  worse,  sir,  for  an  old  man's  blessing! " 

The  scene  had  almost  assumed  the  proportions  of  an 
ovation ;  and  when  the  Prince  escaped  he  had  but  one 
thought:  to  go  wherever  he  was  most  sure  of  praise. 
His  conduct  at  the  board  of  council  occurred  to  him  as 
a  fair  chapter;  and  this  evoked  the  memory  of  Gotthold. 
To  Gotthold  he  would  go. 

Gotthold  was  in  the  library  as  usual,  and  laid  down 
139 


PRINCE  OTTO 

his  pen,  a  little  angrily,  on  Otto's  entrance.  *' Well,"  h^ 
said,  "here  you  are." 

''Well,"  returned  Otto,  '*we  made  a  revolution,  1 
believe." 

*Mt  is  what  I  fear,"  returned  the  Doctor. 

''How  ?"  said  Otto.  "Fear.^  Fear  is  the  burnt  child. 
I  have  learned  my  strength  and  the  weakness  of  the 
others;  and  I  now  mean  to  govern." 

Gotthold  said  nothing,  but  he  looked  down  and 
smoothed  his  chin. 

"You  disapprove  ?  "  cried  Otto.  "  You  are  a  weath- 
ercock." 

"On  the  contrary,"  replied  the  Doctor.  "My  ob- 
servation has  confirmed  my  fears.  It  will  not  do.  Otto, 
not  do." 

"What  will  not  do  ?"  demanded  the  Prince,  with  a 
sickening  stab  of  pain. 

"  None  of  it,"  answered  Gotthold.  "  You  are  unfit- 
ted for  a  life  of  action ;  you  lack  the  stamina,  the  habit, 
the  restraint,  the  patience.  Your  wife  is  greatly  better, 
vastly  better;  and  though  she  is  in  bad  hands,  displays 
a  very  different  aptitude.  She  is  a  woman  of  affairs ; 
you  are  —  dear  boy,  you  are  yourself  I  bid  you  back 
to  your  amusements;  like  a  smiling  dominie,  I  give  you 
holidays  for  life.  Yes,"  he  continued,  "there  is  a  day 
appointed  for  all  when  they  shall  turn  again  upon  their 
own  philosophy.  I  had  grown  to  disbelieve  impartially 
in  all ;  and  if  in  the  atlas  of  the  sciences  there  were  two 
charts  I  disbelieved  in  more  than  all  the  rest,  they  were 
politics  and  morals.  I  had  a  sneaking  kindness  for  your 
vices ;  as  they  were  negative,  they  flattered  my  philos- 
ophy; and  I  called  them  almost  virtues.     Well,  Otto,  I 

140 


GOTTHOLD'S   REVISED   OPINION 

was  wrong;  I  have  forsworn  my  sceptical  philosophy; 
and  I  perceive  your  faults  to  be  unpardonable.  You 
are  unfit  to  be  a  Prince,  unfit  to  be  a  husban^.  And  I 
give  you  my  word,  I  would  rather  see  a  man  capably 
doing  evil,  than  blundering  about  good." 

Otto  was  still  silent,  in  extreme  dudgeon. 

Presently  the  Doctor  resumed :  *  *  I  will  take  the  smaller 
matter  first :  your  conduct  to  your  wife.  You  went,  I 
hear,  and  had  an  explanation.  That  may  have  been 
right  or  wrong ;  I  know  not ;  at  least,  you  had  stirred 
her  temper.  At  the  council  she  insults  you;  well,  you 
insult  her  back  —  a  man  to  a  woman,  a  husband  to  his 
wife,  in  public !  Next  upon  the  back  of  this,  you  pro- 
pose—  the  story  runs  like  wildfire  —  to  recall  the  power 
of  signature.  Can  she  ever  forgive  that  ?  a  woman  —  a 
young  woman  —  ambitious,  conscious  of  talents  beyond 
yours  ?  Never,  Otto.  And  to  sum  all,  at  such  a  crisis 
in  your  married  life,  you  get  into  a  window  corner  with 
that  ogling  dame  von  Rosen.  I  do  not  dream  that  there 
was  any  harm ;  but  I  do  say  it  was  an  idle  disrespect 
to  your  wife.     Why,  man,  the  woman  is  not  decent." 

''Gotthold,"  said  Otto,  "I  will  hear  no  evil  of  the 
Countess." 

**  You  will  certainly  hear  no  good  of  her,"  returned 
Gotthold;  **  and  if  you  wish  your  wife  to  be  the  pink 
of  nicety,  you  should  clear  your  court  of  demi-reputa- 
tions." 

"The  commonplace  injustice  of  a  by-word,"  Otto 
cried.  *'  The  partiality  of  sex.  She  is  a  demi-rep ;  what 
then  is  Gondremark  ?    Were  she  a  man " 

**It  would  be  all  one,"  retorted  Gotthold,  roughly. 
**When  I  see  a  man,  come  to  years  of  wisdom,  who 

141 


PRINCE  OTTO 

Speaks  in  double-meanings  and  is  the  braggart  of  his 
vices,  I  spit  on  the  other  side.  '  You,  my  friend,'  say  I, 
'are  not  even  a  gentleman.'  Well,  she's  not  even  a 
lady." 

**  She  is  the  best  friend  I  have,  and  I  choose  that  she 
shall  be  respected,"  Otto  said. 

"If  she  is  your  friend,  so  much  the  worse,"  replied 
the  Doctor.     "  It  will  not  stop  there." 

"Ah!"  cried  Otto,  "there  is  the  charity  of  virtue! 
All  evil  in  the  spotted  fruit.  But  I  can  tell  you,  sir,  that 
you  do  Madame  von  Rosen  prodigal  injustice." 

"You  can  tell  me!"  said  the  Doctor,  shrewdly. 
"  Have  you  tried  ?  have  you  been  riding  the  marches  ?  " 

The  blood  came  into  Otto's  face. 

"Ah ! "  cried  Gotthold,  "  look  at  your  wife  and  blush ! 
There's  a  wife  for  a  man  to  marry  and  then  lose !  She's 
a  carnation.  Otto.     The  soul  is  in  her  eyes." 

"You  have  changed  your  note  for  Seraphina,  I  per- 
ceive," said  Otto. 

' '  Changed  it ! "  cried  the  Doctor,  with  a  flush.  *  *  Why, 
when  was  it  different  ?  But  I  own  I  admired  her  at  the 
council.  When  she  sat  there  silent,  tapping  with  her 
foot,  I  admired  her  as  I  might  a  hurricane.  Were  I  one 
of  those  who  venture  upon  matrimony,  there  had  been 
the  prize  to  tempt  me !  She  invites,  as  Mexico  invited 
Cortez;  the  enterprise  is  hard,  the  natives  are  unfriendly 
—  I  believe  them  cruel  too  —  but  the  metropolis  is  paved 
with  gold  and  the  breeze  blows  out  of  paradise.  Yes, 
I  could  desire  to  be  that  conqueror.  But  to  philander 
with  von  Rosen ;  never !  Senses  ?  I  discard  them ; 
what  are  they  ? — pruritus !  Curiosity  ?  Reach  me  my 
Anatomy! " 

142 


GOTTHOLD'S   REVISED   OPINION 

"To  whom  do  you  address  yourself?"  cried  Otto. 
''Surely,  you,  of  all  men,  know  that  I  love  my  wife!" 

**0,  love!"  cried  Gotthold;  "love  is  a  great  word; 
it  is  in  all  the  dictionaries.  If  you  had  loved,  she  would 
have  paid  you  back.  What  does  she  ask  ?  A  little  ar- 
dour!" 

"It  is  hard  to  love  for  two,"  replied  the  Prince. 

"Hard.^  Why,  there's  the  touchstone!  O,  I  know 
my  poets!"  cried  the  Doctor.  "We  are  but  dust  and 
fire,  too  arid  to  endure  life's  scorching;  and  love,  like 
the  shadow  of  a  great  rock,  should  lend  shelter  and  re- 
freshment, not  to  the  lover  only,  but  to  his  mistress  and 
to  the  children  that  reward  them ;  and  their  very  friends 
should  seek  repose  in  the  fringes  of  that  peace.  Love 
is  not  love  that  cannot  build  a  home.  And  you  call  it 
love  to  grudge  and  quarrel  and  pick  faults  ?  You  call  it 
love  to  thwart  her  to  her  face,  and  bandy  insults  ? 
Love!" 

"Gotthold,  you  are  unjust.  I  was  then  fighting  for 
my  country,"  said  the  Prince. 

"  Ay,  and  there's  the  worst  of  all,"  returned  the  Doc- 
tor. "You  could  not  even  see  that  you  were  wrong; 
that  being  where  they  were,  retreat  was  ruin." 

"Why,  you  supported  me!  "  cried  Otto. 

"I  did.  I  was  a  fool  like  you,"  replied  Gotthold. 
"  But  now  my  eyes  are  open.  If  you  go  on  as  you 
have  started,  disgrace  this  fellow  Gondremark,  and  pub- 
lish the  scandal  of  your  divided  house,  there  will  befall 
a  most  abominable  thing  in  Grunewald.  A  revolution, 
friend  —  a  revolution." 

"You  speak  strangely  for  a  red,"  said  Otto. 

"A  red  republican,  but  not  a  revolutionary,"  returned 
»43 


PRINCE  OTTO 

the  Doctor.  "An  ugly  thing  is  a  Grunewalder  drunk! 
One  man  alone  can  save  the  country  from  this  pass,  and 
that  is  the  double-dealer  Gondremark,  with  whom  I 
conjure  you  to  make  peace.  It  will  not  be  you ;  it  never 
can  be  you:  —  you,  who  can  do  nothing,  as  your  wife 
said,  but  trade  upon  your  station  —  you,  who  spent  the 
hours  in  begging  money!  And  in  God's  name,  what 
for  ?  Why  money  ?  What  mystery  of  idiocy  was  this  ?  " 

"  It  was  to  no  ill  end.  It  was  to  buy  a  farm,"  quoth 
Otto,  sulkily. 

'*  To  buy  a  farm !  "  cried  Gotthold.     "  Buy  a  farm ! " 

"  Well,  what  then  ?  "  returned  Otto.  "  I  have  bought 
it,  if  you  come  to  that." 

Gotthold  fairly  bounded  on  his  seat.  *'And  how 
that?"  he  cried. 

*'  How  ?"  repeated  Otto,  startled. 

*'Ay,  verily,  how!"  returned  the  Doctor.  ''How 
came  you  by  the  money  ?  " 

The  Prince's  countenance  darkened.  "That  is  my 
affair,"  said  he. 

"You  see  you  are  ashamed,"  retorted  Gotthold. 
"And  so  you  bought  a  farm  in  the  hour  of  your  coun- 
try's need  —  doubtless  to  be  ready  for  the  abdication; 
and  I  put  it  that  you  stole  the  funds.  There  are  not 
three  ways  of  getting  money :  there  are  but  two :  to 
earn  and  steal.  And  now,  when  you  have  combined 
Charles  the  Fifth  and  Long-fmgered  Tom,  you  come  to 
me  to  fortify  your  vanity!  But  I  will  clear  my  mind 
upon  this  matter:  until  I  know  the  right  and  wrong  of 
the  transaction,  I  put  my  hand  behind  my  back.  A  man 
may  be  the  pitifullest  prince,  he  must  be  a  spotless  gen- 
tleman." 

144 


GOTTHOLD'S  REVISED   OPINION 

The  Prince  had  gotten  to  his  feet,  as  pale  as  paper. 
"Gotthold,"  he  said,  "you  drive  me  beyond  bounds. 
Beware,  sir,  beware!" 

"  Do  you  threaten  me,  friend  Otto  ?"  asked  the  Doc- 
tor, grimly.     ''That  would  be  a  strange  conclusion." 

''When  have  you  ever  known  me  use  my  power  in 
any  private  animosity?"  cried  Otto.  "To  any  private 
man,  your  words  were  an  unpardonable  insult,  but  at 
me  you  shoot  in  full  security,  and  I  must  turn  aside  to 
compliment  you  on  your  plainness.  I  must  do  more 
than  pardon,  I  must  admire,  because  you  have  faced 
this  —  this  formidable  monarch,  like  a  Nathan  before 
David.  You  have  uprooted  an  old  kindness,  sir,  with 
an  unsparing  hand.  You  leave  me  very  bare.  My  last 
bond  is  broken;  and  though  I  take  Heaven  to  witness 
that  I  sought  to  do  the  right,  I  have  this  reward:  to 
find  myself  alone.  You  say  I  am  no  gentleman;  yet 
the  sneers  have  been  upon  your  side;  and  though  I  can 
very  well  perceive  where  you  have  lodged  your  sympa- 
thies, I  will  forbear  the  taunt." 

"  Otto,  are  you  insane  ?"  cried  Gotthold,  leaping  up. 
"  Because  I  ask  you  how  you  came  by  certain  moneys, 
and  because  you  refuse " 

"Herr  von  Hohenstockwitz,  I  have  ceased  to  invite 
your  aid  in  my  affairs,"  said  Otto.  "  I  have  heard  all 
that  I  desire,  and  you  have  sufficiently  trampled  on  my 
vanity.  It  may  be  that  I  cannot  govern,  it  may  be 
that  I  cannot  love  —  you  tell  me  so  with  every  mark 
of  honesty;  but  God  has  granted  me  one  virtue,  and 
I  can  still  forgive.  I  forgive  you;  even  in  this  hour 
of  passion,  I  can  perceive  my  faults  and  your  excuses ; 
and  if  I  desire  that  in  future  I  may  be  spared  your 

145 


PRINCE  OTTO 

conversation,  it  is  not,  sir,  from  resentment — not  re- 
sentment—  but,  by  Heaven,  because  no  man  on  earth 
could  endure  to  be  so  rated.  You  have  the  satis- 
faction to  see  your  sovereign  weep;  and  that  person 
whom  you  have  so  often  taunted  with  his  happiness 
reduced  to  the  last  pitch  of  solitude  and  misery.  No, — 
I  will  hear  nothing;  I  claim  the  last  word,  sir,  as  your 
Prince;  and  that  last  word  shall  be  —  forgiveness." 

And  with  that  Otto  was  gone  from  the  apartment, 
and  Doctor  Gotthold  was  left  alone  with  the  most  con- 
flicting sentiments  of  sorrow,  remorse,  and  merriment; 
walking  to  and  fro  before  his  table,  and  asking  himself, 
with  hands  uplifted,  which  of  the  pair  of  them  was 
most  to  blame  for  this  unhappy  rupture.  Presently,  he 
took  from  a  cupboard  a  bottle  of  Rhine  wine  and  a  gob- 
let of  the  deep  Bohemian  ruby.  The  first  glass  a  little 
warmed  and  comforted  his  bosom;  with  the  second  he 
began  to  look  down  upon  these  troubles  from  a  sunny 
mountain ;  yet  a  while,  and  filled  with  this  false  com- 
fort and  contemplating  life  throughout  a  golden  medium, 
he  owned  to  himself,  with  a  flush,  a  smile,  and  a  half- 
pleasurable  sigh,  that  he  had  been  somewhat  over  plain 
in  dealing  with  his  cousin.  "He  said  the  truth,  too," 
added  the  penitent  librarian,  "for  in  my  monkish  fash- 
ion I  adore  the  Princess."  And  then,  with  a  still  deep- 
ening flush  and  a  certain  stealth,  although  he  sat  all 
alone  in  that  great  gallery,  he  toasted  Seraphina  to  the 
dregs. 


146 


CHAPTER  XI 

PROVIDENCE    VON    ROSEN:    ACT    THE    FIRST:     SHE   BEGUILES 
THE   BARON 

At  a  sufficiently  late  hour,  or  to  be  more  exact,  at 
three  in  the  afternoon,  Madame  von  Rosen  issued  on  the 
world.  She  swept  downstairs  and  out  across  the  gar- 
den, a  black  mantilla  thrown  over  her  head,  and  the 
long  train  of  her  black  velvet  dress  ruthlessly  sweeping 
in  the  dirt. 

At  the  other  end  of  that  long  garden,  and  back  to 
back  with  the  villa  of  the  Countess,  stood  the  large 
mansion  where  the  Prime  Minister  transacted  his  affairs 
and  pleasures.  This  distance,  which  was  enough  for 
decency  by  the  easy  canons  of  Mittwalden,  the  Count- 
ess swiftly  traversed,  opened  a  little  door  with  a  key, 
mounted  a  flight  of  stairs,  and  entered  unceremoniously 
into  Gondremark's  study.  It  was  a  large  and  very  high 
apartment;  books  all  about  the  walls,  papers  on  the 
table,  papers  on  the  floor;  here  and  there  a  picture, 
somewhat  scant  of  drapery ;  a  great  fire  glowing  and 
flaming  in  the  blue  tiled  hearth ;  and  the  daylight  stream- 
ing through  a  cupola  above.  In  the  midst  of  this  sat 
the  great  Baron  Gondremark  in  his  shirt-sleeves,  his 
business  for  that  day  fairly  at  an  end,  and  the  hour  ar- 
rived for  relaxation.  His  expression,  his  very  nature, 
seemed  to  have  undergone  a  fundamental  change.    Gon- 

147 


PRINCE  OTTO 

dremark  at  home  appeared  the  very  antipode  of  Gondre- 
mark  on  duty.  He  had  an  air  of  massive  jollity  that 
well  became  him;  grossness  and  geniality  sat  upon  his 
features;  and  along  with  his  manners,  he  had  laid  aside 
his  sly  and  sinister  expression.  He  lolled  there,  sunning 
his  bulk  before  the  fire,  a  noble  animal. 

^'Hey!"  he  cried.     '*  At  last!" 

The  Countess  stepped  into  the  room  in  silence,  threw 
herself  on  a  chair,  and  crossed  her  legs.  In  her  lace 
and  velvet,  with  a  good  display  of  smooth  black  stock- 
ing and  of  snowy  petticoat,  and  with  the  refined  profile 
of  her  face  and  slender  plumpness  of  her  body,  she 
showed  in  singular  contrast  to  the  big,  black,  intellectual 
satyr  by  the  fire. 

*'  How  often  do  you  send  for  me?"  she  cried.  *Mt  is 
compromising." 

Gondremark  laughed.  '*  Speaking  of  that,"  said  he, 
'  *  what  in  the  devil's  name  were  you  about  ?  You  were 
not  home  till  morning." 

**  I  was  giving  alms,"  she  said. 

The  Baron  again  laughed  loud  and  long,  for  in  his 
shirt-sleeves  he  was  a  very  mirthful  creature.  *'It  is 
fortunate  I  am  not  jealous,"  he  remarked.  ''But  you 
know  my  way :  pleasure  and  liberty  go  hand  in  hand. 
I  believe  what  I  believe;  it  is  not  much,  but  I  believe  it. 
But  now,  to  business.     Have  you  not  read  my  letter  ?  " 

''No,"  she  said;  "my  head  ached." 

"Ah,  well!  then  I  have  news  indeed! "  cried  Gondre- 
mark. "I  was  mad  to  see  you  all  last  night  and  all 
this  morning:  for  yesterday  afternoon  I  brought  my  long 
business  to  a  head;  the  ship  has  come  home;  one  more 
dead  lift,  and  I  shall  cease  to  fetch  and  carry  for  the 

148 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN:   ACT  THE  FIRST 

Princess  Ratafia.  •  Yes,  'tis  done.  I  have  the  order  all 
in  Ratafia's  hand ;  I  carry  it  on  my  heart.  At  the  hour 
of  twelve  to-night,  Prince  Featherhead  is  to  be  taken  in 
his  bed  and,  like  the  bambino,  whipped  into  a  chariot; 
and  by  next  morning  he  will  command  a  most  roman- 
tic prospect  from  the  donjon  of  the  Feisenburg.  Fare- 
well, Featherhead !  The  war  goes  on,  the  girl  is  in  my 
hand;  I  have  long  been  indispensable,  but  now  I  shall 
be  sole.  I  have  long,"  he  added  exultingly,  **long 
carried  this  intrigue  upon  my  shoulders,  like  Samson 
with  the  gates  of  Gaza;  now  I  discharge  that  burthen." 

She  had  sprung  to  her  feet  a  little  paler.  "Is  this 
true  ?  "  she  cried. 

*M  tell  you  a  fact,"  he  asseverated.  *'The  trick  is 
played." 

'* I  will  never  believe  it,"  she  said.  "An  order ?  In 
her  own  hand  ?    I  will  never  believe  it,  Heinrich." 

"  I  swear  to  you,"  said  he. 

'  *  O,  what  do  you  care  for  oaths  —  or  I  either  ?  What 
would  you  swear  by  ?  Wine,  women,  and  song  ?  It 
is  not  binding,"  she  said.  She  had  come  quite  close  up 
to  him  and  laid  her  hand  upon  his  arm.  "As  for  the 
order  —  no,  Heinrich,  never!  I  will  never  believe  it.  I 
will  die  ere  I  believe  it.  You  have  some  secret  purpose — 
what,  I  cannot  guess — but  not  one  word  of  it  is  true.'* 

"Shall  I  show  it  you?"  he  asked. 

"You  cannot,"  she  answered.  "There  is  no  such 
thing." 

"Incorrigible  Sadducee!"  he  cried.  "Well,  I  will 
convert  you;  you  shall  see  the  order."  He  moved  to  a 
chair  where  he  had  thrown  his  coat,  and  then  drawing 
forth  and  holding  out  a  paper,  "Read,"  said  he. 

149 


PRINCE  OTTO 

She  took  it  greedily,  and  her  eye  flashed  as  she  pe- 
rused it. 

**  Hey!  "  cried  the  Baron,  "there  falls  a  dynasty,  and 
it  was  I  that  felled  it;  and  I  and  you  inherit!"  He 
seemed  to  swell  in  stature ;  and  next  moment,  with  a 
laugh,  he  put  his  hand  forward.  "Give  me  the  dag- 
ger," said  he. 

But  she  whisked  the  paper  suddenly  behind  her  back 
and  faced  him,  lowering.  "No,  no, "she said.  "You 
and  I  have  first  a  point  to  settle.  Do  you  suppose  me 
blind  ?  She  could  never  have  given  that  paper  but  to 
one  man,  and  that  man  her  lover.  Here  you  stand  — 
her  lover,  her  accomplice,  her  master  —  O,  I  well  be- 
lieve it,  for  I  know  your  power.  But  what  am  I .?"  she 
cried;  "I,  whom  you  deceive.?" 

"Jealousy!"  cried  Gondremark.  "Anna,- I  would 
never  have  believed  it !  But  1  declare  to  you  by  all  that's 
credible,  that  I  am  not  her  lover.  I  might  be,  I  sup- 
pose; but  I  never  yet  durst  risk  the  declaration.  The 
chit  is  so  unreal;  a  mincing  doll;  she  will  and  she  will 
not;  there  is  no  counting  on  her,  by  God!  And  hither- 
to I  have  had  my  own  way  without,  and  keep  the  lover 
in  reserve.  And  I  say,  Anna,"  he  added  with  severity, 
"you  must  break  yourself  of  this  new  fit,  my  girl; 
there  must  be  no  combustion.  I  keep  the  creature 
under  the  belief  that  I  adore  her;  and  if  she  caught  a 
breath  of  you  and  me,  she  is  such  a  fool,  prude,  and 
dog  in  the  manger,  that  she  is  capable  of  spoiling  all." 

"All  very  fine,"  returned  the  lady.  "With  whom 
do  you  pass  your  days  ?  and  which  am  I  to  believe, 
your  words  or  your  actions  ?" 

"Anna,  the  devil  take  you,  are  you  blind?"  cried 
150 


PROVIDENCE  VON    ROSEN:   ACT   THE   FIRST 

Gondremark.  "You  know  me.  Am  I  likely  to  care 
for  such  a  preciosa  ?  'Tis  hard  that  we  should  have 
been  together  for  so  long,  and  you  should  still  take  me 
for  a  troubadour.  But  if  there  is  one  thing  that  I  despise 
and  deprecate,  it  is  all  such  figures  in  Berlin  wool.  Give 
me  a  human  woman  —  like  myself  You  are  my  mate ; 
you  were  made  for  me;  you  amuse  me  like  the  play. 
And  what  have  I  to  gain  that  I  should  pretend  to  you  ? 
If  I  do  not  love  you,  what  use  are  you  to  me  ?  Why, 
none.     It  is  as  clear  as  noonday." 

''Do you  love  me,  Heinrich.^"  she  asked,  languish- 
ing.    ''Do  you  truly .?" 

"  I  tell  you,"  he  cried,  "  I  love  you  next  after  myself. 
I  should  be  all  abroad  if  1  had  lost  you." 

"Well,  then,"  said  she,  folding  up  the  paper  and 
putting  it  calmly  in  her  pocket,  "  I  will  believe  you,  and 
I  join  the  plot.  Count  upon  me.  At  midnight,  did  you 
say  ?  It  is  Gordon,  I  see,  that  you  have  charged  with 
it.     Excellent;  he  will  stick  at  nothing." 

Gondremark  watched  her  suspiciously.  "Why  do 
you  take  the  paper?"  he  demanded.     "Give  it  here." 

"No,"  she  returned;  "I  mean  to  keep  it.  It  is  I 
who  must  prepare  the  stroke;  you  cannot  manage  it 
without  me;  and  to  do  my  best  I  must  possess  the 
paper.  Where  shall  I  find  Gordon  ?  In  his  rooms  ?" 
She  spoke  with  a  rather  feverish  self-possession. 

"Anna,"  he  said  sternly,  the  black,  bilious  counte- 
nance of  his  palace  role  taking  the  place  of  the  more 
open  favour  of  his  hours  at  home,  "  I  ask  you  for  that 
paper.     Once,  twice,  and  thrice." 

"Heinrich,"  she  returned,  looking  him  in  the  face, 
"take  care.     I  will  put  up  with  no  dictation." 

151 


PRINCE  OTTO 

Both  looked  dangerous ;  and  the  silence  lasted  for  a 
measurable  interval  of  time.  Then  she  made  haste  to 
have  the  first  word;  and  with  a  laugh  that  rang  clear 
and  honest,  ''  Do  not  be  a  child,"  she  said.  "  I  wonder 
at  you.  If  your  assurances  are  true,  you  can  have  no 
reason  to  mistrust  me,  nor  I  to  play  you  false.  The  dif- 
ficulty is  to  get  the  Prince  out  of  the  palace  without 
scandal.  His  valets  are  devoted  ;  his  chamberlain  a 
slave;  and  yet  one  cry  might  ruin  all." 

*'They  must  be  overpowered,"  he  said,  following 
her  to  the  new  ground,  ''and  disappear  along  with 
him." 

"And  your  whole  scheme  along  with  them!"  she 
cried.  **He  does  not  take  his  servants  when  he  goes 
a-hunting:  a  child  could  read  the  truth.  No,  no;  the 
plan  is  idiotic ;  it  must  be  Ratafia's.  But  hear  me.  You 
know  the  Prince  worships  me  }  " 

'*  I  know,"  he  said.  ''  Poor  Featherhead,  I  cross  his 
destiny! " 

"Well  now,"  she  continued,  "what  if  I  bring  him 
alone  out  of  the  palace,  to  some  quiet  corner  of  the  Park 
—  the  Flying  Mercury,  for  instance.?*  Gordon  can  be 
posted  in  the  thicket;  the  carriage  wait  behind  the  tem- 
ple; not  a  cry,  not  a  scuffle,  not  a  footfall;  simply,  the 
Prince  vanishes !  —  What  do  you  say  }  Am  I  an  able 
ally  ?  Are  my  beaux  yeux  of  service  }  Ah,  Heinrich,. 
do  not  lose  your  Anna!  —  she  has  power!" 

He  struck  with  his  open  hand  upon  the  chimney. 
"Witch!"  he  said,  "there  is  not  your  match  for  dev- 
ilry in  Europe.     Service!  the  thing  runs  on  wheels." 

"  Kiss  me,  then,  and  let  me  go.  I  oiust  not  miss  my 
Featherhead,"  she  said. 

15a 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN:   ACT  THE  FIRST 

''  Stay,  Stay,"  said  the  Baron;  ''  not  so  fast.  I  wish, 
upon  my  soul,  that  I  could  trust  you;  but  you  are,  out 
and  in,  so  whimsical  a  devil  that  I  dare  not.  Hang  it, 
Anna,  no;  it's  not  possible!" 

'*  You  doubt  me,  Heinrich  .?"  she  cried. 

''Doubt  is  not  the  word,"  said  he.  ''I  know  you. 
Once  you  were  clear  of  me  with  that  paper  in  your 
pocket,  who  knows  what  you  would  do  with  it  ?  —  not 
you,  at  least  —  nor  I.  You  see,"  he  added,  shaking  his 
head  paternally  upon  the  Countess,  **you  are  as  vicious 
as  a  monkey." 

**I   swear  to  you,"   she    cried,    ''by  my  salvation 

"  I  have  no  curiosity  to  hear  you  swearing,"  said  the 
Baron. 

"You  think  that  I  have  no  religion?  You  suppose 
me  destitute  of  honour.  Well,"  she  said,  "see  here:  I 
will  not  argue,  but  I  tell  you  once  for  all :  leave  me  this 
order,  and  the  Prince  shall  be  arrested  —  take  it  from 
me,  and,  as  certain  as  I  speak,  I  will  upset  the  coach. 
Trust  me,  or  fear  me:  take  your  choice."  And  she  of- 
fered him  the  paper. 

The  Baron,  in  a  great  contention  of  mind,  stood  irres- 
olute, weighing  the  two  dangers.  Once  his  hand  ad- 
vanced, then  dropped.  "Well,"  he  said,  "since  trust 
is  what  you  call  it  .  .  .  ." 

"No  more,"  she  interrupted.  "Do  not  spoil  your 
attitude.  And  now  since  you  have  behaved  like  a  good 
sort  of  fellow  in  the  dark,  I  will  condescend  to  tell  you 
why.  I  go  to  the  palace  to  arrange  with  Gordon ;  but 
how  is  Gordon  to  obey  me  ?  And  how  can  I  foresee 
the  hours?    It  maybe  midnight;   ay,  and  it  may  be 

153 


PRINCE  OTTO 

night-fall;  all's  a  chance;  and  to  act,  I  must  be  free  and 
hold  the  strings  of  the  adventure.  And  now, "  she  cried, 
**your  Vivien  goes.  Dub  me  your  knight!  "  And  she 
held  out  her  arms  and  smiled  upon  him  radiant. 

*'Well,"  he  said,  when  he  had  kissed  her,  ** every 
man  must  have  his  folly ;  I  thank  God  mine  is  no  worse. 
Off  with  you!     I  have  given  a  child  a  squib." 


«54 


CHAPTER  XII 

PROVIDENCE   VON    ROSEN:    ACT  THE    SECOND  I    SHE    INFORMS 
THE    PRINCE 

It  was  the  first  impulse  of  Madame  von  Rosen  to  re- 
turn to  her  own  villa  and  revise  her  toilette.  Whatever 
else  should  come  of  this  adventure,  it  was  her  firm  de- 
sign to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Princess.  And  before  that 
woman,  so  little  beloved,  the  Countess  would  appear  at 
no  disadvantage.  It  was  the  work  of  minutes.  Von 
Rosen  had  the  captain's  eye  in  matters  of  the  toilette; 
she  was  none  of  those  who  hang  in  Fabian  helplessness 
among  their  finery  and,  after  hours,  come  forth  upon 
the  world  as  dowdies.  A  glance,  a  loosened  curl,  a 
studied  and  admired  disorder  in  the  hair,  a  bit  of  lace,  a 
touch  of  colour,  a  yellow  rose  in  the  bosom ;  and  the  in- 
stant picture  was  complete. 

*'That  will  do,"  she  said.  "  Bid  my  carriage  follow 
me  to  the  palace.  In  half  an  hour  it  should  be  there  in 
waiting." 

The  night  was  beginning  to  fall  and  the  shops  to 
shine  with  lamps  along  the  tree-beshadowed  thorough- 
fares of  Otto's  capital,  when  the  Countess  started  on  her 
high  emprise.  She  was  jocund  at  heart;  pleasure  and 
interest  had  winged  her  beauty,  and  she  knew  it.  She 
paused  before  the  glowing  jeweller's ;  she  remarked  and 
praised  a  costume  in  the  milliner's  window;  and  when 
she  reached  the  lime-tree  walk,  with  its  high,  umbra- 

»55 


PRINCE  OTTO 

geous  arches  and  stir  of  passers-by  in  the  dim  alleys, 
she  took  her  place  upon  a  bench  and  began  to  dally 
with  the  pleasures  of  the  hour.  It  was  cold,  but  she 
did  not  feel  it,  being  warm  within ;  her  thoughts,  in  that 
dark  corner,  shone  like  the  gold  and  rubies  at  the  jewel- 
ler's; her  ears,  which  heard  the  brushing  of  so  many 
footfalls,  transposed  it  into  music. 

What  was  she  to  do  ?  She  held  the  paper  by  which 
all  depended.  Otto  and  Gondremark  and  Ratafia,  and 
the  state  itself,  hung  light  in  her  balances,  as  light  as 
dust;  her  little  finger  laid  in  either  scale  would  set  all 
flying:  and  she  hugged  herself  upon  her  huge  prepon- 
derance, and  then  laughed  aloud  to  think  how  giddily  it 
might  be  used.  The  vertigo  of  omnipotence,  the  dis- 
ease of  Caesars,  shook  her  reason.  '  *  O  the  mad  world ! " 
she  thought,  and  laughed  aloud  in  exultation. 

A  child,  finger  in  mouth,  had  paused  a  little  way  from 
where  she  sat,  and  stared  with  cloudy  interest  upon  this 
laughing  lady.  She  called  it  nearer;  but  the  child  hung 
back.  Instantly,  with  that  curious  passion  which  you 
may  see  any  woman  in  the  world  display,  on  the  most 
odd  occasions,  for  a  similar  end,  the  Countess  bent  her- 
self with  singleness  of  mind  to  overcome  this  diffidence; 
and  presently,  sure  enough,  the  child  was  seated  on  her 
knee,  thumbing  and  glowering  at  her  watch. 

**If  you  had  a  clay  bear  and  a  china  monkey,"  asked 
von  Rosen,  ''which  would  you  prefer  to  break .^" 

'*  But  I  have  neither,"  said  the  child. 

"Well,"  she  said,  ''  here  is  a  bright  florin,  with  which 
you  may  purchase  both  the  one  and  the  other;  and  I 
shall  give  it  you  at  once,  if  you  will  answer  my  ques- 
tion.    The  clay  bear  or  the  china  monkey  —  come  ?  " 

156 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN:   ACT   THE  SECOND 

But  the  unbreeched  soothsayer  only  stared  upon  the 
florin  with  big  eyes ;  the  oracle  could  not  be  persuaded 
to  reply ;  and  the  Countess  kissed  him  lightly,  gave  him 
the  florin,  set  him  down  upon  the  path,  and  resumed 
her  way  with  swinging  and  elastic  gait. 

"Which  shall  I  break?"  she  wondered;  and  she 
passed  her  hand  with  delight  among  the  careful  disar- 
rangement of  her  locks.  ''Which?"  and  she  con- 
sulted heaven  with  her  bright  eyes.  ''Do  I  love  both 
or  neither  ?  A  little —  passionately  —  not  at  all  ?  Both 
or  neither  —  both,  I  believe;  but  at  least  I  will  make  hay 
of  Ratafia." 

By  the  time  she  had  passed  the  iron  gates,  mounted 
the  drive,  and  set  her  foot  upon  the  broad  flagged  ter- 
race, the  night  had  come  completely;  the  palace  front 
was  thick  with  lighted  windows ;  and  along  the  balus- 
trade, the  lamp  on  every  twentieth  baluster  shone  clear. 
A  few  withered  tracks  of  sunset,  amber  and  glow-worm 
green,  still  lingered  in  the  western  sky;  and  she  paused 
once  again  to  watch  them  fading. 

"And  to  think,"  she  said,  "that  here  am  I  —  destiny 
embodied,  a  norn,  a  fate,  a  providence  —  and  have  no 
guess  upon  which  side  I  shall  declare  myself !  What 
other  woman  in  my  place  would  not  be  prejudiced,  and 
think  herself  committed?  But,  thank  Heaven!  I  was 
born  just!"  Otto's  windows  were  bright  among  the 
rest,  and  she  looked  on  them  with  rising  tenderness. 
"How  does  it  feel  to  be  deserted?"  she  thought. 
" Poor  dear  fool!  The  girl  deserves  that  he  should  see 
this  order." 

Without  more  delay,  she  passed  into  the  palace  and 
asked  for  an  audience  of  Prince  Otto.     The  Prince,  she 

157 


PRINCE  OTTO 

was  told,  was  in  his  own  apartment,  and  desired  to  be 
private.  She  sent  her  name.  A  man  presently  returned 
with  word  that  the  Prince  tendered  his  apologies,  but 
could  see  no  one.  "Then  I  will  write,"  she  said,  and 
scribbled  a  few  lines  alleging  urgency  of  life  and  death. 
"  Help  me,  my  Prince,"  she  added;  **  none  but  you  can 
help  me."  This  time  the  messenger  returned  more 
speedily  and  begged  the  Countess  to  follow  him :  the 
Prince  was  graciously  pleased  to  receive  the  Frau  Grafm 
von  Rosen. 

Otto  sat  by  the  fire  in  his  large  armoury,  weapons 
faintly  glittering  all  about  him  in  the  changeful  light. 
His  face  was  disfigured  by  the  marks  of  weeping;  he 
looked  sour  and  sad;  nor  did  he  rise  to  greet  his  visitor, 
but  bowed,  and  bade  the  man  begone.  That  kind  ol 
general  tenderness  which  served  the  Countess  for  both 
heart  and  conscience,  sharply  smote  her  at  this  specta- 
cle of  grief  and  weakness ;  she  began  immediately  to 
enter  into  the  spirit  of  her  part;  and  as  soon  as  they 
were  alone,  taking  one  step  forward  and  with  a  magni- 
ficent gesture —  "  Up!  "  she  cried. 

''Madame  von  Rosen,"  replied  Otto,  dully,  ''you 
have  used  strong  words.  You  speak  of  life  and  death. 
Pray,  madam,  who  is  threatened  ?  Who  is  there,"  he 
added  bitterly,  "so  destitute  that  even  Otto  of  Grune- 
wald  can  assist  him  ?" 

"First  learn,"  said  she,  "the  names  of  the  conspira- 
tors :  the  Princess  and  the  Baron  Gondremark.  Can  you 
not  guess  the  rest  ?  "  And  then  as  he  maintained  his 
silence  —  "You!"  she  cried,  pointing  at  him  with  her 
finger.  "  Tis  you  they  threaten!  Your  rascal  and 
mine  have  laid  their  heads  together  and  condemned  you. 

158 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN:   ACT  THE  SECOND 

But  they  reckoned  without  you  and  me.  We  make  a 
partie  carrt.  Prince,  in  love  and  politics.  They  lead  an 
ace,  but  we  shall  trump  it.  Come,  partner,  shall  I  draw 
my  card  }  " 

**  Madam,"  he  said,  ''explain  yourself.  Indeed  I  fail 
to  comprehend." 

*'See,  then,"  said  she;  and  handed  him  the  order. 

He  took  it,  looked  upon  it  with  a  start;  and  then, 
still  without  speech,  he  put  his  hand  before  his  face. 
She  waited  for  a  word  in  vain. 

"What!  "  she  cried,  "do  you  take  the  thing  down- 
heartedly  ?  As  well  seek  wine  in  a  milk-pail  as  love  in 
that  girl's  heart!  Be  done  with  this,  and  be  a  man. 
After  the  league  of  the  lions,  let  us  have  a  conspiracy  of 
mice,  and  pull  this  piece  of  machinery  to  ground.  You 
were  brisk  enough  last  night  when  nothing  was  at 
stake  and  all  was  frolic.  Well,  here  is  better  sport; 
here  is  life  indeed." 

He  got  to  his  feet  with  some  alacrity,  and  his  face, 
which  was  a  little  flushed,  bore  the  marks  of  resolution. 

"  Madame  von  Rosen,"  said  he,  "I  am  neither  uncon- 
scious nor  ungrateful;  this  is  the  true  continuation  of 
your  friendship ;  but  I  see  that  I  must  disappoint  your 
expectations.  You  seem  to  expect  from  me  some  effort 
of  resistance ;  but  why  should  I  resist  ?  I  have  not  much 
to  gain;  and  now  that  I  have  read  this  paper,  and  the 
last  of  a  fool's  paradise  is  shattered,  it  would  be  hyper- 
bolical to  speak  of  loss  in  the  same  breath  with  Otto  of 
Grunewald.  I  have  no  party;  no  policy;  no  pride,  nor 
anything  to  be  proud  of  For  what  benefit  or  principle 
under  Heaven  do  you  expect  me  to  contend  ?  Or 
would  you  have  me  bite  and  scratch  like  a  trapped 

»59 


PRINCE  OTTO 

weasel  ?  No,  madam ;  signify  to  those  who  sent  you 
my  readiness  to  go.     I  would  at  least  avoid  a  scandal." 

"  You  go  ?  —  of  your  own  will,  you  go  ?"  she  cried. 

"I  cannot  say  so  much,  perhaps,"  he  answered; 
*'but  I  go  with  good  alacrity.  I  have  desired  a  change 
some  time;  behold  one  offered  me!  Shall  I  refuse? 
Thank  God,  I  am  not  so  destitute  of  humour  as  to  make 
a  tragedy  of  such  a  farce."  He  flicked  the  order  on  the 
table.  "You  may  signify  my  readiness,"  he  added, 
grandly. 

"Ah,"  she  said,  "you  are  more  angry  than  you 
own." 

"  I,  madam  ?  angry  ?  "  he  cried.  "  You  rave.  I  have 
no  cause  for  anger.  In  every  way  I  have  been  taught 
my  weakness,  my  instability,  and  my  unfitness  for  the 
world.  I  am  a  plexus  of  weaknesses,  an  impotent 
Prince,  a  doubtful  gentleman ;  and  you  yourself,  indul- 
gent as  you  are,  have  twice  reproved  my  levity.  And 
shall  I  be  angry  ?  I  may  feel  the  unkindness,  but  I  have 
sufficient  honesty  of  mind  to  see  the  reasons  of  this 
coup  d'etat. " 

"From  whom  have  you  got  this  1 "  she  cried  in  won- 
der. "You  think  you  have  not  behaved  well.?  My 
Prince,  were  you  not  young  and  handsome,  I  should 
detest  you  for  your  virtues.  You  push  them  to  the 
verge  of  commonplace.     And  this  ingratitude " 

"Understand  me,  Madame  von  Rosen,"  returned  the 
Prince,  flushing  a  little  darker,  "there  can  be  here  no 
talk  of  gratitude,  none  of  pride.  You  are  here,  by  what 
circumstance  I  know  not,  but  doubtless  led  by  your 
kindness,  mixed  up  in  what  regards  my  family  alone. 
You  have  no  knowledge  what  my  wife,  your  sovereign, 

j6o 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN:   ACT  THE  SECOND 

may  have  suffered;  it  is  not  for  you  —  no,  nor  for  me  — 
to  judge.  I  own  myself  in  fault;  and  were  it  otherwise, 
a  man  were  a  very  empty  boaster  who  should  talk  of 
love  and  start  before  a  small  humiliation.  It  is  in  all  the 
copybooks  that  one  should  die  to  please  his  lady-love; 
and  shall  a  man  not  go  to  prison  ?" 

"  Love.^  And  what  has  love  to  do  with  being  sent 
to  gaol.^"  exclaimed  the  Countess,  appealing  to  the 
walls  and  roof  "Heaven  knows  I  think  as  much  of 
love  as  any  one;  my  life  would  prove  it;  but  I  admit 
no  love,  at  least  for  a  man,  that  is  not  equally  returned. 
The  rest  is  moonshine." 

"\  think  of  love  more  absolutely,  madam,  though  I 
am  certain  no  more  tenderly,  than  a  lady  to  whom  I  am 
indebted  for  such  kindnesses,"  returned  the  Prince. 
"But  this  is  unavailing.  We  are  not  here  to  hold  a 
court  of  troubadours. " 

"Still,"  she  replied,  "  there  is  one  thing  you  forget. 
If  she  conspires  with  Gondremark  against  your  liberty, 
she  may  conspire  with  him  against  your  honour  also." 

"My  honour?"  he  repeated.  "For  a  woman,  you 
surprise  me.  If  I  have  failed  to  gain  her  love  or  play 
my  part  of  husband,  what  right  is  left  me  ?  or  what 
honour  can  remain  in  such  a  scene  of  defeat  ?  No  hon- 
our that  I  recognise.  I  am  become  a  stranger.  If  my 
wife  no  longer  loves  me,  I  will  go  to  prison,  since  she 
wills  it;  if  she  love  another,  where  should  I  be  more  in 
place  ?  or  whose  fault  is  it  but  mine  ?  You  speak,  Ma- 
dame von  Rosen,  like  too  many  women,  with  a  man's 
tongue.  Had  I  myself  fallen  into  temptation  (as,  Heaven 
knows,  I  might)  I  should  have  trembled,  but  still  hoped 
and  asked  for  her  forgiveness ;  and  yet  mine  had  been  a 

i6i 


PRINCE  OTTO 

treason  in  the  teeth  of  love.  But  let  me  tell  you,  madam,  '* 
he  pursued,  with  rising  irritation,  "  where  a  husband  by 
futility,  facility,  and  ill-timed  humours  has  outwearied 
his  wife's  patience,  I  will  suffer  neither  man  nor  woman 
to  misjudge  her.  She  is  free;  the  man  has  been  found 
wanting." 

*' Because  she  loves  you  not .?"  the  Countess  cried. 
*' You  know  she  is  incapable  of  such  a  feeling." 

*'  Rather,  it  was  I  who  was  born  incapable  of  inspir- 
ing it,"  said  Otto. 

Madame  von  Rosen  broke  into  sudden  laughter. 
*'  Fool,"  she  cried,  *'  I  am  in  love  with  you  myself." 

"Ah,  madam,  you  are  most  compassionate, "  the  Prince 
retorted,  smiling.  *'But  this  is  waste  debate.  1  know 
my  purpose.  Perhaps,  to  equal  you  in  frankness,  1  know 
and  embrace  my  advantage.  I  am  not  without  the  spirit 
of  adventure.  1  am  in  a  false  position  —  so  recognised 
by  public  acclamation :  do  you  grudge  me,  then,  my 
issue.?" 

**lf  your  mind  is  made  up,  why  should  1  dissuade 
you  ?  "  said  the  Countess.  "  1  own,  with  a  bare  face,  I 
am  the  gainer.  Go,  you  take  my  heart  with  you,  or 
more  of  it  than  1  desire;  I  shall  not  sleep  at  night  for 
thinking  of  your  misery.  But  do  not  be  afraid ;  I  would 
not  spoil  you,  you  are  such  a  fool  and  hero." 

*'Alas!  madam,"  cried  the  Prince,  ''and  your  unlucky 
money !  1  did  amiss  to  take  it,  but  you  are  a  wonderful 
persuader.  And  I  thank  God,  1  can  still  offer  you  the 
fair  equivalent."  He  took  some  papers  from  the  chim- 
ney. "Here,  madam,  are  the  title-deeds,"  he  said; 
"  where  I  am  going,  they  can  certainly  be  of  no  use  to 
me,  and  1  have  now  no  other  hope  of  making  up  to  you 

162 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN:   ACT  THE  SECOND 

your  kindness.  You  made  the  loan  without  formality, 
obeying  your  kind  heart.  The  parts  are  somewhat 
changed ;  the  sun  of  this  Prince  of  Grunewald  is  upon 
the  point  of  setting ;  and  I  know  you  better  than  to 
doubt  you  will  once  more  waive  ceremony,  and  accept 
the  best  that  he  can  give  you.  If  I  may  look  for  any 
pleasure  in  the  coming  time,  it  will  be  to  remember  that 
the  peasant  is  secure,  and  my  most  generous  friend  no 
loser." 

**  Do  you  not  understand  my  odious  position  ?  "  cried 
the  Countess.  **  Dear  Prince,  it  is  upon  your  fall  that  I 
begin  my  fortune." 

''  It  was  the  more  like  you  to  tempt  me  to  resistance," 
returned  Otto.  ' '  But  this  cannot  alter  our  relations ;  and 
I  must,  for  the  last  time,  lay  my  commands  upon  you  in 
the  character  of  Prince."  And  with  his  loftiest  dignity, 
he  forced  the  deeds  on  her  acceptance. 

"  I  hate  the  very  touch  of  them,"  she  cried. 

There  followed  upon  this  a  little  silence.  •*  At  what 
time,"  resumed  Otto,  "(if  indeed  you  know)  am  I  to 
be  arrested?" 

**Your  Highness,  when  you  please!"  exclaimed  the 
Countess.   '  *  Or  if  you  choose  to  tear  that  paper,  never ! " 

' '  I  would  rather  it  were  done  quickly, "  said  the  Prince. 
*'  I  shall  take  but  time  to  leave  a  letter  for  the  Princess." 

"Well,"  said  the  Countess,  "1  have  advised  you  to 
resist;  at  the  same  time,  if  you  intend  to  be  dumb  be- 
fore your  shearers,  I  must  say  that  I  ought  to  set  about 
arranging  your  arrest.  I  offered  "  —  she  hesitated  — "  I 
offered  to  manage  it,  intending,  my  dear  friend  —  in- 
tending, upon  my  soul,  to  be  of  use  to  you.  Well,  if 
you  will  not  profit  by  my  good  will,  then  be  of  use  to 

163 


PRINCE  OTTO 

me ;  and  as  soon  as  ever  you  feel  ready,  go  to  the  Fly- 
ing Mercury  where  we  met  last  night.  It  will  be  none 
the  worse  for  you ;  and  to  make  it  quite  plain,  it  will  be 
better  for  the  rest  of  us." 

"Dear  madam,  certainly,"  said  Otto.  *Mf  I  am  pre- 
pared for  the  chief  evil,  I  shall  not  quarrel  with  details. 
Go,  then,  with  my  best  gratitude;  and  when  I  have 
written  a  few  lines  of  leave-taking,  I  shall  immediately 
hasten  to  keep  tryst.  To-night,  I  shall  not  meet  so  dan- 
gerous a  cavalier,"  he  added,  with  a  smiling  gallantry. 

As  soon  as  Madame  von  Rosen  was  gone,  he  made  a 
great  call  upon  his  self-command.  He  was  face  to  face 
with  a  miserable  passage  where,  if  it  were  possible,  he 
desired  to  carry  himself  with  dignity.  As  to  the  main 
fact,  he  never  swerved  or  faltered ;  he  had  come  so  heart- 
sick and  so  cruelly  humiliated  from  his  talk  with  Gott- 
hold,  that  he  embraced  the  notion  of  imprisonment  with 
something  bordering  on  relief  Here  was,  at  least,  a 
step  which  he  thought  blameless;  here  was  a  way  out 
of  his  troubles.  He  sat  down  to  write  to  Seraphina ;  and 
his  anger  blazed.  The  tale  of  his  forbearances  mounted, 
in  his  eyes,  to  something  monstrous;  still  more  mon- 
strous, the  coldness,  egoism,  and  cruelty  that  had  re- 
quired and  thus  requited  them.  The  pen  which  he  had 
taken  shook  in  his  hand.  He  was  amazed  to  find  his 
resignation  fled,  but  it  was  gone  beyond  his  recall.  In 
a  few  white-hot  words,  he  bade  adieu,  dubbing  desper- 
ation by  the  name  of  love,  and  calling  his  wrath  forgive- 
ness; then  he  cast  but  one  look  of  leave-taking  on  the 
place  that  had  been  his  for  so  long  and  was  now  to  be 
his  no  longer;  and  hurried  forth  —  love's  prisoner  —  or 
pride's. 

164 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN:   ACT  THE  SECOND 

He  took  that  private  passage  which  he  had  trodden 
so  often  in  less  momentous  hours.  The  porter  let  him 
out;  and  the  bountiful,  cold  air  of  the  night  and  the 
pure  glory  of  the  stars  received  him  on  the  threshold. 
He  looked  round  him,  breathing  deep  of  earth's  plain 
fragrance ;  he  looked  up  into  the  great  array  of  heaven, 
and  was  quieted.  His  little  turgid  life  dwindled  to  its 
true  proportions;  and  he  saw  himself  (that  great  flame- 
hearted  martyr!)  stand  like  a  speck  under  the  cool  cu- 
pola of  the  night.  Thus  he  felt  his  careless  injuries  al- 
ready soothed ;  the  live  air  of  out-of-doors,  the  quiet  of 
the  world,  as  if  by  their  silent  music,  sobering  and 
dwarfing  his  emotions. 

**  Well,  1  forgive  her,"  he  said.  "  If  it  be  of  any  use 
to  her,  1  forgive." 

And  with  brisk  steps,  he  crossed  the  garden,  issued 
upon  the  Park  and  came  to  the  Flying  Mercury.  A  dark 
figure  moved  forward  fi'om  the  shadow  of  the  pedestal. 

**  1  have  to  ask  your  pardon,  sir,"  a  voice  observed, 
"  but  if  1  am  right  in  taking  you  for  the  Prince,  I  was 
given  to  understand  that  you  would  be  prepared  to 
meet  me." 

"  Herr  Gordon,  I  believe  ?"  said  Otto. 

"  Herr  Oberst  Gordon,"  replied  that  officer.  *'  This 
is  rather  a  ticklish  business  for  a  man  to  be  embarked 
in;  and  to  find  that  all  is  to  go  pleasantly,  is  a  great  re- 
lief to  me.  The  carriage  is  at  hand ;  shall  I  have  the 
honour  of  following  your  Highness  .?" 

"Colonel,"  said  the  Prince,  "I  have  now  come  to 
that  happy  moment  of  my  life,  when  I  have  orders  to 
receive  but  none  to  give." 

'*A  most  philosophical  remark!"  returned  the  Colo- 
165 


PRINCE   OTTO 

nel.  "Begad,  a  very  pertinent  remark!  it  might  be 
Plutarch.  I  am  not  a  drop's  blood  to  your  Highness, 
or  indeed  to  any  one  in  this  principality;  or  else  1 
should  dislike  my  orders.  But  as  it  is,  and  since  there 
is  nothing  unnatural  or  unbecoming  on  my  side,  and 
your  Highness  takes  it  in  good  part,  I  begin  to  believe 
we  may  have  a  capital  time  together,  sir  —  a  capital 
time.     For  a  gaoler  is  only  a  fellow  captive." 

"May  I  inquire,  Herr  Gordon,"  asked  Otto,  "what 
led  you  to  accept  this  dangerous  and  I  would  fain  hope 
thankless  office.^" 

"  Very  natural,  I  am  sure,"  replied  the  officer  of  for- 
tune.    "  My  pay  is,  in  the  meanwhile,  doubled." 

"Well,  sir,  I  will  not  presume  to  criticise,"  returned 
the  Prince.     "  And  I  perceive  the  carriage." 

Sure  enough,  at  the  intersection  of  two  alleys  of  the 
Park,  a  coach  and  four,  conspicuous  by  its  lanterns, 
stood  in  waiting.  And  a  little  way  off  about  a  score  oi 
lancers  were  drawn  up  under  the  shadow  of  the  trees. 


1 66 


CHAPTER  XIII 

PROVIHENCE  VON   ROSEN:   ACT  THE  THIRD:  SHE  ENLIGHTENS 
SERAPHINA 

When  Madame  von  Rosen  left  the  Prince,  she  hurried 
straight  to  Colonel  Gordon ;  and  not  content  with  di- 
recting the  arrangements,  she  had  herself  accompanied 
the  soldier  of  fortune  to  the  Flying  Mercury.  The  Col- 
onel gave  her  his  arm,  and  the  talk  betv^een  this  pair  of 
conspirators  ran  high  and  lively.  The  Countess,  indeed, 
was  in  a  whirl  of  pleasure  and  excitement;  her  tongue 
stumbled  upon  laughter,  her  eyes  shone,  the  colour  that 
was  usually  wanting  now  perfected  her  face.  It  would 
have  taken  little  more  to  bring  Gordon  to  her  feet  —  or 
so,  at  least,  she  believed,  disdaining  the  idea. 

Hidden  among  some  lilac  bushes,  she  enjoyed  the 
great  decorum  of  the  arrest,  and  heard  the  dialogue  of 
the  two  men  die  away  along  the  path.  Soon  after,  the 
rolling  of  a  carriage  and  the  beat  of  hoofs  arose  in  the 
still  air  of  the  night,  and  passed  speedily  farther  and 
fainter  into  silence.     The  Prince  was  gone. 

Madame  von  Rosen  consulted  her  watch.  She  had 
still,  she  thought,  time  enough  for  the  titbit  of  her  even- 
ing; and  hurrying  to  the  palace,  winged  by  the  fear  of 
Gondremark's  arrival,  she  sent  her  name  and  a  pressing 
request  for  a  reception  to  the  Princess  Seraphina.  As 
the  Countess  von  Rosen  unqualified,  she  was  sure  to  be 

167 


PRINCE  OTTO 

refused ;  but  as  an  emissary  of  the  Baron's,  for  so  she 
chose  to  style  herself,  she  gained  immediate  entry. 

The  Princess  sat  alone  at  table,  making  a  feint  of  din- 
ing. Her  cheeks  were  mottled,  her  eyes  heavy ;  she  had 
neitherslept  nor  eaten ;  even  her  dress  had  been  neglected. 
In  short,  she  was  out  of  health,  out  of  looks,  out  of  heart, 
and  hag-ridden  by  her  conscience.  The  Countess  drew 
a  swift  comparison,  and  shone  brighter  in  beauty. 

*'You  come,  madam,  de  la  part  de  Monstettr  le 
Baron/'  drawled  the  Princess.  "Be  seated!  What 
have  you  to  say  }'' 

*'  To  say  ?  "  repeated  Madame  von  Rosen.  ''  O,  much 
to  say !  Much  to  say,  that  I  would  rather  not,  and  much 
to  leave  unsaid  that  I  would  rather  say.  For  I  am  like 
St.  Paul,  your  Highness,  and  always  wish  to  do  the 
things  I  should  not.  Well!  to  be  categorical  —  that  is 
the  word.^  —  I  took  the  Prince  your  order.  He  could 
not  credit  his  senses.  *Ah,'  he  cried,  'dear  Madame 
von  Rosen,  it  is  not  possible  —  it  cannot  be  —  I  must 
hear  it  from  your  lips.  My  wife  is  a  poor  girl  misled, 
she  is  only  silly,  she  is  not  cruel.'  'Mon  Prince/  said 
I,  *  a  girl  —  and  therefore  cruel;  youth  kills  flies.'  —  He 
had  such  pain  to  understand  it! " 

''Madame  von  Rosen,"  said  the  Princess,  in  most 
steadfast  tones,  but  with  a  rose  of  anger  in  her  face, 
"  who  sent  you  here,  and  for  what  purpose .?  Tell  your 
errand." 

"  O,  madam,  I  believe  you  understand  me  very  well," 
returned  von  Rosen.  "I  have  not  your  philosophy.  I 
wear  my  heart  upon  my  sleeve,  excuse  the  indecency! 
It  is  a  very  little  one,"  she  laughed,  "and  I  so  often 
change  the  sleeve ! " 

1 68 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN:   ACT  THE  THIRD 

*'  Am  I  to  understand  the  Prince  has  been  arrested  ?" 
asked  the  Princess,  rising. 

**  While  you  sat  there  dining!"  cried  the  Countess, 
still  nonchalantly  seated. 

"You  have  discharged  your  errand,"  was  the  reply; 
"  I  will  not  detain  you." 

"O  no,  madam,"  said  the  Countess,  ''with  your 
permission,  I  have  not  yet  done.  I  have  borne  much 
this  evening  in  your  service.  I  have  suffered.  I  was 
made  to  suffer  in  your  service."  She  unfolded  her  fan 
as  she  spoke.  Quick  as  her  pulses  beat,  the  fan  waved 
languidly.  She  betrayed  her  emotion  only  by  the  bright- 
ness of  her  eyes  and  face,  and  by  the  almost  insolent 
triumph  with  which  she  looked  down  upon  the  Prin- 
cess. There  were  old  scores  of  rivalry  between  them 
in  more  than  one  field ;  so  at  least  von  Rosen  felt ;  and 
now  she  was  to  have  her  hour  of  victory  in  them  all. 

"You  are  no  servant,  Madame  von  Rosen,  of  mine," 
said  Seraphina. 

"No,  madam,  indeed,"  returned  the  Countess;  "but 
we  both  serve  the  same  person,  as  you  know  —  or  if 
you  do  not,  then  I  have  the  pleasure  of  informing  you. 
Your  conduct  is  so  light  —  so  light,"  she  repeated,  the 
fan  wavering  higher  like  a  butterfly,  "that  perhaps  you 
do  not  truly  understand."  The  Countess  rolled  her  fan 
together,  laid  it  in  her  lap,  and  rose  to  a  less  languorous 
position.  "Indeed,"  she  continued,  "  1  should  be  sorry 
to  see  any  young  woman  in  your  situation.  You  began 
with  every  advantage  —  birth,  a  suitable  marriage  — 
quite  pretty  too  —  and  see  what  you  have  come  to !  My 
poor  girl,  to  think  of  it!  But  there  is  nothing  that  does 
so  much  harm,"  observed  the  Countess  finely,  "as  gid- 

169 


PRINCE  OTTO 

diness  of  mind."  And  she  once  more  unfurled  the  fan, 
and  approvingly  fanned  herself. 

"  I  will  no  longer  permit  you  to  forget  yourself,"  cried 
Seraphina.     '*  I  think  you  are  mad." 

**  Not  mad,"  returned  von  Rosen.  "  Sane  enough  to 
know  you  dare  not  break  with  me  to-night,  and  to  profit 
by  the  knowledge.  I  left  my  poor,  pretty  Prince  Charm- 
ing crying  his  eyes  out  for  a  wooden  doll.  My  heart 
is  soft;  I  love  my  pretty  Prince;  you  will  never  under- 
stand it,  but  I  long  to  give  my  Prince  his  doll,  dry  his 
poor  eyes,  and  send  him  off  happy.  O,  you  immature 
fool!  "  the  Countess  cried,  rising  to  her  feet,  and  point- 
ing at  the  Princess  the  closed  fan  that  now  began  to 
tremble  in  her  hand.  **0  wooden  doll!"  she  cried, 
**  have  you  a  heart,  or  blood,  or  any  nature  ?  This  is  a 
man,  child  —  a  man  who  loves  you.  O,  it  will  not 
happen  twice!  it  is  not  common;  beautiful  and  clever 
women  look  in  vain  for  it.  And  you,  you  pitiful  school- 
girl, tread  this  jewel  underfoot!  you,  stupid  with  your 
vanity !  Before  you  try  to  govern  kingdoms,  you  should 
first  be  able  to  behave  yourself  at  home;  home  is  the 
woman's  kingdom."  She  paused  and  laughed  a  little, 
strangely  to  hear  and  look  upon.  "  I  will  tell  you  one 
of  the  things,"  she  said,  "that  were  to  stay  unspoken. 
Von  Rosen  is  a  better  woman  than  you,  my  Princess, 
though  you  will  never  have  the  pain  of  understanding 
it;  and  when  1  took  the  Prince  your  order,  and  looked 
upon  his  face,  my  soul  was  melted  —  O,  I  am  frank  — 
here,  within  my  arms,  I  offered  him  repose!"  She  ad- 
vanced a  step  superbly  as  she  spoke,  with  outstretched 
arms;  and  Seraphina  shrank.  "Do  not  be  alarmed!" 
the  Countess  cried;  "I  am  not  offering  that  hermitage 

170 


PROVIDENCE  VON    ROSEN:   ACT  THE  THIRD 

to  you ;  in  all  the  world  there  is  but  one  who  wants  to, 
and  him  you  have  dismissed !  *If  it  will  give  her  pleas- 
ure I  should  wear  the  martyr's  crown,'  he  cried,  M  will 
embrace  the  thorns.'  1  tell  you  —  I  am  quite  frank  —  I 
put  the  order  in  his  power  and  begged  him  to  resist. 
You,  who  have  betrayed  your  husband,  may  betray  me 
to  Gondremark;  my  Prince  would  betray  no  one.  Un- 
derstand it  plainly,"  she  cried,  "  'tis  of  his  pure  forbear- 
ance you  sit  there ;  he  had  the  power  —  I  gave  it  him  — 
to  change  the  parts ;  and  he  refused,  and  went  to  prison 
in  your  place." 

The  Princess  spoke  with  some  distress.  *'  Your  vio- 
lence shocks  me  and  pains  me, "  shebegan,  ' '  but  I  cannot 
be  angry  with  what  at  least  does  honour  to  the  mistaken 
kindness  of  your  heart:  it  was  right  for  me  to  know 
this.  I  will  condescend  to  tell  you.  It  was  with  deep 
regret  that  I  was  driven  to  this  step.  I  admit  in  many 
ways  the  Prince  —  I  admit  his  amiability.  It  was  our 
great  misfortune,  it  was  perhaps  somewhat  of  my  fault, 
that  we  were  so  unsuited  to  each  other;  but  I  have  a 
regard,  a  sincere  regard,  for  all  his  qualities.  As  a  pri- 
vate person  I  should  think  as  you  do.  It  is  difficult,  I 
know,  to  make  allowances  for  state  considerations.  I 
have  only  with  deep  reluctance  obeyed  the  call  of  a  su- 
perior duty ;  and  so  soon  as  I  dare  do  it  for  the  safety 
of  the  state,  I  promise  you  the  Prince  shall  be  released. 
Many  in  my  situation  would  have  resented  your  free- 
doms. I  am  not  — "  and  she  looked  for  a  moment  rather 
piteously  upon  the  Countess —  "  I  am  not  altogether  so 
inhuman  as  you  think." 

''And  you  can  put  these  troubles  of  the  state,"  the 
Countess  cried,  "  to  weigh  with  a  man's  love  ?  " 

'71 


PRINCE  OTTO 

*' Madame  von  Rosen,  these  troubles  are  affairs  of  life 
and  death  to  many;  to  the  Prince,  and  perhaps  even  to 
yourself,  among  the  number,"  replied  the  Princess,  with 
dignity.  **I  have  learned,  madam,  although  still  so 
young,  in  a  hard  school,  that  my  own  feelings  must 
everywhere  come  last." 

''O  callow  innocence!  "  exclaimed  the  other.  ''Is 
it  possible  you  do  not  know,  or  do  not  suspect,  the  in- 
trigue in  which  you  move  ?  I  find  it  in  my  heart  to  pity 
you !  We  are  both  women  after  all  —  poor  girl,  poor 
girl!  —  and  who  is  born  a  woman  is  born  a  fool.  And 
though  I  hate  all  women  —  come,  for  the  common  folly, 
I  forgive  you.  Your  Highness  "  —  she  dropped  a  deep 
stage  courtesy  and  resumed  her  fan —  *'  I  am  going  to 
insult  you,  to  betray  one  who  is  called  my  lover,  and  if 
it  pleases  you  to  use  the  power  I  now  put  unreservedly 
into  your  hands,  to  ruin  my  dear  self  O,  what  a 
French  comedy  !  You  betray,  I  betray,  they  betray. 
It  is  now  my  cue.  The  letter,  yes.  Behold  the  let- 
ter, madam,  its  seal  unbroken  as  I  found  it  by  my  bed 
this  morning;  for  I  was  out  of  humour,  and  I  get  many, 
too  many,  of  these  favours.  For  your  own  sake,  for 
the  sake  of  my  Prince  Charming,  for  the  sake  of  this 
great  principality  that  sits  so  heavy  on  your  conscience, 
open  it  and  read!" 

''Am  I  to  understand,"  inquired  the  Princess,  "that 
this  letter  in  any  way  regards  me?" 

"  You  see  I  have  not  opened  it,"  replied  von  Rosen; 
"  but  'tis  mine,  and  I  beg  you  to  experiment." 

"I  cannot  look  at  it  till  you  have,"  returned  Sera- 
phina,  very  seriously.  "  There  may  be  matter  there  not 
meant  for  me  to  see;  it  is  a  private  letter." 

172 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN:   ACT  THE  THIRD 

The  Countess  tore  it  open,  glanced  it  through,  and 
tossed  it  back;  and  the  Princess,  taking  up  the  sheet, 
recognised  the  hand  of  Gondremark,  and  read  with  a 
sickening  shock  the  following  lines :  — 

"  Dearest  Anna,  come  at  once.  Ratafia  has  done  the  deed,  hef 
husband  to  be  packed  to  prison.  This  puts  the  minx  entirely  in  my 
power;  le  tour  est  j one;  she  will  now  go  steady  in  harness,  or  I  will 
know  the  reason  why.     Come.  "  Heinrich." 

"Command  yourself,  madam,"  said  the  Countess, 
watching  with  some  alarm  the  white  face  of  Seraphina. 
"It  is  in  vain  for  you  to  fight  with  Gondremark:  he 
has  more  strings  than  mere  court  favour,  and  could 
bring  you  down  to-morrow  with  a  word.  I  would  not 
have  betrayed  him  otherwise;  but  Heinrich  is  a  man, 
and  plays  with  all  of  you  like  marionettes.  And  now 
at  least  you  see  for  what  you  sacrificed  my  Prince. 
Madam,  will  you  take  some  wine  }  I  have  been  cruel." 

"Not cruel,  madam  —  salutary,"  said  Seraphina,  with 
a  phantom  smile.  "No,  I  thank  you,  I  require  no  at- 
tentions. The  first  surprise  affected  me :  will  you  give 
me  time  a  little  }  I  must  think." 

She  took  her  head  between  her  hands,  and  contem- 
plated for  a  while  the  hurricane  confusion  of  her 
thoughts. 

"This  information  reaches  me,"  she  said,  "when  I 
have  need  of  it.  I  would  not  do  as  you  have  done,  but 
yet  I  thank  you.  I  have  been  much  deceived  in  Baron 
Gondremark." 

"O,  madam,  leave  Gondremark,  and  think  upon  the 
Prince!"  cried  von  Rosen. 

"  You  speak  once  more  as  a  private  person,"  said  the 
173 


PRINCE  OTTO 

Princess;  '*  nor  do  I  blame  you.  But  my  own  thoughts 
are  more  distracted.     However,  as  I  believe  you  are 

truly  a  friend  to  my  —  to  the as   I  believe,"  she 

said,  ''you  are  a  friend  to  Otto,  I  shall  put  the  order 
for  his  release  into  your  hands  this  moment.  Give  me 
the  ink-dish.  There ! "  and  she  wrote  hastily,  steady- 
ing her  arm  upon  the  table,  for  she  trembled  like  a 
reed.  "Remember,  madam,"  she  resumed,  handing 
her  the  order,  "this  must  not  be  used  nor  spoken  of 
at  present ;  till  I  have  seen  the  Baron,  any  hurried  step 
—  I  lose  myself  in  thinking.  The  suddenness  has 
shaken  me." 

"  I  promise  you  I  will  not  use  it,"  said  the  Countess, 
"till  you  give  me  leave,  although  I  wish  the  Prince 
could  be  informed  of  it,  to  comfort  his  poor  heart. 
And,  oh,  I  had  forgotten,  he  has  left  a  letter.  Suffer 
me,  madam ;  I  will  bring  it  you.  This  is  the  door,  I 
think  ?  "    And  she  sought  to  open  it. 

"The  bolt  is  pushed,"  said  Seraphina,  flushing. 

"O!  O!"  cried  the  Countess. 

A  silence  fell  between  them. 

"I  will  get  it  for  myself,"  said  Seraphina;  "and  in 
the  meanwhile  I  beg  you  to  leave  me.  I  thank  you,  I 
am  sure,  but  I  shall  be  obliged  if  you  will  leave  me." 

The  Countess  deeply  courtesied,  and  withdrew. 


174 


CHAPTER  XIV 

RELATES   THE    CAUSE    AND    OUTBREAK   OF    THE    REVOLUTION 

Brave  as  she  was,  and  brave  by  intellect,  the  Prin- 
cess, when  first  she  was  alone,  clung  to  the  table  for 
support.  The  four  corners  of  her  universe  had  fallen. 
She  had  never  liked  nor  trusted  Gondremark  completely; 
she  had  still  held  it  possible  to  find  him  false  to  friend- 
ship ;  but  from  that  to  finding  him  devoid  of  all  those 
public  virtues  for  which  she  had  honoured  him,  a  mere 
commonplace  intriguer,  using  her  for  his  own  ends,  the 
step  was  wide  and  the  descent  giddy.  Light  and  dark- 
ness succeeded  each  other  in  her  brain;  now  she  be- 
lieved, and  now  she  could  not.  She  turned,  blindly 
groping  for  the  note.  But  von  Rosen,  who  had  not 
forgotten  to  take  the  warrant  from  the  Prince,  had  re- 
membered to  recover  her  note  from  the  Princess:  von 
Rosen  was  an  old  campaigner,  whose  most  violent 
emotion  aroused  rather  than  clouded  the  vigour  of  her 
reason. 

The  thought  recalled  to  Seraphina  the  remembrance 
of  the  other  letter  —  Otto's.  She  rose  and  went  speed- 
ily, her  brain  still  wheeling,  and  burst  into  the  Prince's 
armoury.  The  old  chamberlain  was  there  in  waiting; 
and  the  sight  of  another  face,  prying  (or  so  she  felt)  on 
her  distress,  struck  Seraphina  into  childish  anger. 

'75 


PRINCE  OTTO 

"Go!"  she  cried;  and  then,  when  the  old  man  was 
already  half  way  to  the  door,  ' '  Stay !  "  she  added.  ' '  As 
soon  as  Baron  Gondremark  arrives,  let  him  attend  me 
here." 

*'It  shall  be  so  directed,"  said  the  chamberlain. 

**  There  was  a  letter   ..."  she  began,  and  paused. 

**Her  Highness,"  said  the  chamberlain,  **will  find  a 
letter  on  the  table.  I  had  received  no  orders,  or  her 
Highness  had  been  spared  this  trouble." 

"No,  no,  no,"  she  cried.  "I  thank  you.  I  desire 
to  be  alone." 

And  then,  when  he  was  gone,  she  leaped  upon  the 
letter.  Her  mind  was  still  obscured;  like  the  moon 
upon  a  night  of  clouds  and  wind,  her  reason  shone  and 
was  darkened ;  and  she  read  the  words  by  flashes. 

"  Seraphina  [the  Prince  wrote],  I  will  write  no  syllable  of  reproach. 
I  have  seen  your  order,  and  I  go.  What  else  is  left  me  ?  I  have  wasted 
my  love,  and  have  no  more.  To  say  that  I  forgive  you  is  not  need- 
ful: at  least,  we  are  now  separate  for  ever;  by  your  own  act,  you  free 
me  from  my  willing  bondage:  I  go  free  to  prison.  This  is  the  last  that 
you  will  hear  of  me  in  love  or  anger.  I  have  gone  out  of  your  life; 
you  may  breathe  easy;  you  have  now  rid  yourself  of  the  husband  who 
allowed  you  to  desert  him,  of  the  Prince  who  gave  you  his  rights,  and 
of  the  married  lover  who  made  it  his  pride  to  defend  you  in  your  ab- 
sence. How  you  have  requited  him,  your  own  heart  more  loudly  tells 
you  than  my  words.  There  is  a  day  coming  when  your  vain  dreams 
will  roll  away  like  clouds,  and  you  will  find  yourself  alone.  Then  you 
will  remember  "  Otto." 

She  read  with  a  great  horror  on  her  mind ;  that  day, 
of  which  he  wrote,  was  come.  She  was  alone;  she 
had  been  false,  she  had  been  cruel;  remorse  rolled  in 
upon  her;  and  then  with  a  more  piercing  note,  vanity 

176 


THE  CAUSE  AND  OUTBREAK  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 

bounded  on  the  stage  of  consciousness.  She  a  dupe! 
she  helpless !  she  to  have  betrayed  herself  in  seeking  to 
betray  her  husband !  she  to  have  lived  these  years  upon 
flattery,  grossly  swallowing  the  bolus,  like  a  clown 
with  sharpers !  she  —  Seraphina !  Her  swift  mind  drank 
the  consequences;  she  foresaw  the  coming  fall,  her 
public  shame ;  she  saw  the  odium,  disgrace,  and  folly 
of  her  story  flaunt  through  Europe.  She  recalled  the 
scandal  she  had  so  royally  braved;  and  alas!  she  had 
now  no  courage  to  confront  it  with.  To  be  thought  the 
mistress  of  that  man:  perhaps  for  that  .  .  .  She 
closed  her  eyes  on  agonising  vistas.  Swift  as  thought 
she  had  snatched  a  bright  dagger  from  the  weapons  that 
shone  along  the  wall.  Ay,  she  would  escape.  From 
that  world-wide  theatre  of  nodding  heads  and  buzzing 
whisperers,  in  which  she  now  beheld  herself  unpitiably 
martyred,  one  door  stood  open.  At  any  cost,  through 
any  stress  of  suffering,  that  greasy  laughter  should  be 
stifled.  She  closed  her  eyes,  breathed  a  wordless  prayer, 
and  pressed  the  weapon  to  her  bosom. 

At  the  astonishing  sharpness  of  the  prick,  she  gave  a 
cry  and  awoke  to  a  sense  of  undeserved  escape.  A  lit- 
tle ruby  spot  of  blood  was  the  reward  of  that  great  act 
of  desperation ;  but  the  pain  had  braced  her  like  a  tonic, 
and  her  whole  design  of  suicide  had  passed  away. 

At  the  same  instant  regular  feet  drew  near  along  the 
gallery,  and  she  knew  the  tread  of  the  big  Baron,  so 
often  gladly  welcome,  and  even  now  rallying  her  spirits 
like  a  call  to  battle.  She  concealed  the  dagger  in  the 
folds  of  her  skirt;  and  drawing  her  stature  up,  she  stood 
firm-footed,  radiant  with  anger,  waiting  for  the  foe. 

The  Baron  was  announced,  and  entered.  To  him, 
177 


PRINCE  OTTO 

Seraphina  was  a  hated  task:  like  the  schoolboy  with  his 
Virgil,  he  had  neither  will  nor  leisure  to  remark  her 
beauties;  but  when  he  now  beheld  her  standing  illu- 
minated by  her  passion,  new  feelings  flashed  upon  him, 
a  frank  admiration,  a  brief  sparkle  of  desire.  He  noted 
both  with  joy;  they  were  means.  **lf  I  have  to  play 
the  lover,"  thought  he,  for  that  was  his  constant  pre- 
occupation, "I  believe  I  can  put  soul  into  it."  Mean- 
while, with  his  usual  ponderous  grace,  he  bent  before 
the  lady. 

*'  I  propose,"  she  said  in  a  strange  voice,  not  known 
to  her  till  then,  "  that  we  release  the  Prince  and  do  not 
prosecute  the  war." 

**  Ah,  madam,"  he  replied,  "'tis  as  I  knew  it  would 
be!  Your  heart,  I  knew,  would  wound  you  when  we 
came  to  this  distasteful  but  most  necessary  step.  Ah, 
madam,  believe  me,  I  am  not  unworthy  to  be  your  ally; 
I  know  you  have  qualities  to  which  I  am  a  stranger, 
and  count  them  the  best  weapons  in  the  armoury  of  our 
alliance: — the  girl  in  the  queen — pity,  love,  tenderness, 
laughter;  the  smile  that  can  reward.  I  can  only  com- 
mand; I  am  the  frowner.  But  you!  And  you  have  the 
fortitude  to  command  these  comely  weaknesses,  to  tread 
them  down  at  the  call  of  reason.  How  often  have  I  not 
admired  it  even  to  yourself!  Ay,  even  to  yourself," 
he  added,  tenderly,  dwelling,  it  seemed,  in  memory 
on  hours  of  more  private  admiration.  "  But  now, 
madam " 

"  But  now,  Herr  von  Gondremark,  the  time  for  these 
declarations  has  gone  by,"  she  cried.  ''  Are  you  true  to 
me  ?  are  you  false  ?  Look  in  your  heart  and  answer;  it 
is  your  heart  I  want  to  know." 

178 


THE  CAUSE  AND   OUTBREAK  OF  THE   REVOLUTION 

'Mt  has  come,"  thought  Gondremark.  "You,  ma- 
dam!" he  cried,  starting  back  —  with  fear,  you  would 
have  said,  and  yet  a  timid  joy.  ''You,  yourself,  you 
bid  me  look  into  my  heart  ?  " 

*'Do  you  suppose  I  fear?"  she  cried,  and  looked  at 
him  with  such  a  heightened  colour,  such  bright  eyes, 
and  a  smile  of  so  abstruse  a  meaning,  that  the  Baron 
discarded  his  last  doubt. 

"Ah,  madam!"  he  cried,  plumping  on  his  knees. 
"Seraphina!  Do  you  permit  me?  have  you  divined 
my  secret  ?  It  is  true  —  I  put  my  life  with  joy  into  your 
power — I  love  you,  love  with  ardour,  as  an  equal,  as  a 
mistress,  as  a  brother-in-arms,  as  an  adored,  desired, 
sweet-hearted  woman.  O  Bride!"  he  cried,  waxing 
dithyrambic,  "bride  of  my  reason  and  my  senses,  have 
pity,  have  pity  on  my  love! " 

She  heard  him  with  wonder,  rage,  and  then  contempt. 
His  words  offended  her  to  sickness ;  his  appearance,  as 
he  grovelled  bulkily  upon  the  floor,  moved  her  to  such 
laughter  as  we  laugh  in  nightmares. 

"O  shame!"  she  cried.  "  Absurd  and  odious !  What 
would  the  Countess  say  ?  " 

That  great  Baron  Gondremark,  the  excellent  politician, 
remained  for  some  little  time  upon  his  knees  in  a  frame 
of  mind  which  perhaps  we  are  allowed  to  pity.  His 
vanity,  within  his  iron  bosom,  bled  and  raved.  If  he 
could  have  blotted  all,  if  he  could  have  withdrawn  part, 
if  he  had  not  called  her  bride  —  with  a  roaring  in  his 
ears,  he  thus  regretfully  reviewed  his  declaration.  He 
got  to  his  feet  tottering;  and  then,  in  that  first  moment 
when  a  dumb  agony  finds  a  vent  in  words,  and  the 
tongue  betrays  the  inmost  and  worst  of  a  man,  he  per- 

179 


PRINCE  OTTO 

mitted  himself  a  retort  which,  for  six  weeks  to  follow, 
he  was  to  repent  at  leisure. 

"Ah,"  said  he,  "the  Countess  ?  Now  I  perceive  the 
reason  of  your  Highness's  disorder." 

The  lackey-like  insolence  of  the  words  was  driven 
home  by  a  more  insolent  manner.  There  fell  upon 
Seraphina  one  of  those  storm-clouds  which  had  already 
blackened  upon  her  reason;  she  heard  herself  cry  out; 
and  when  the  cloud  dispersed,  flung  the  blood-stained 
dagger  on  the  floor,  and  saw  Gondremark  reeling  back 
with  open  mouth  and  clapping  his  hand  upon  the  wound. 
The  next  moment,  with  oaths  that  she  had  never  heard, 
he  leaped  at  her  in  savage  passion ;  clutched  her  as  she 
recoiled;  and  in  the  very  act,  stumbled  and  drooped. 
She  had  scarce  time  to  fear  his  murderous  onslaught  ere 
he  fell  before  her  feet. 

He  rose  upon  one  elbow;  she  still  staring  upon  him, 
white  with  horror. 

"Anna!  "he  cried,  "Anna!     Help!" 

And  then  his  utterance  failed  him,  and  he  fell  back,  to 
all  appearance  dead. 

Seraphina  ran  to  and  fro  in  the  room ;  she  wrung  her 
hands  and  cried  aloud;  within  she  was  all  one  up- 
roar of  terror,  and  conscious  of  no  articulate  wish  but 
to  awake. 

There  came  a  knocking  at  the  door;  and  she  sprang 
to  it  and  held  it,  panting  like  a  beast,  and  with  the 
strength  of  madness  in  her  arms,  till  she  had  pushed 
the  bolt.  At  this  success  a  certain  calm  fell  upon  her 
reason.  She  went  back  and  looked  upon  her  victim,  the 
knocking  growing  louder.  O  yes,  he  was  dead.  She 
had  killed  him.     He  had  called  upon  von  Rosen  with  his 

I  So 


THE  CAUSE  AND   OUTBREAK  OF  THE   REVOLUTION 

latest  breath ;  ah !  who  would  call  on  Seraphina  ?  Shq 
had  killed  him.  She,  whose  irresolute  hand  could  scarce 
prick  blood  from  her  own  bosom,  had  found  strength 
to  cast  down  that  great  colossus  at  a  blow. 

All  this  while  the  knocking  was  growing  more  up- 
roarious and  more  unlike  the  staid  career  of  life  in  such 
a  palace.  Scandal  was  at  the  door,  with  what  a  fatal 
following  she  dreaded  to  conceive;  and  at  the  same 
time  among  the  voices  that  now  began  to  summon  her 
by  name,  she  recognised  the  Chancellor's.  He  or  an- 
other, somebody  must  be  the  first. 

''Is  Herr  von  Greisengesang  without.?  "  she  called. 

''Your  Highness  —  yes!"  the  old  gentleman  an- 
swered. "We  have  heard  cries,  a  fall.  Is  anything 
amiss  ?  " 

"Nothing,"  replied  Seraphina.  "I  desire  to  speak 
with  you.  Send  off  the  rest."  She  panted  between 
each  phrase;  but  her  mind  was  clear.  She  let  the 
looped  curtain  down  upon  both  sides  before  she  drew 
the  bolt;  and,  thus  secure  from  any  sudden  eyeshot 
from  without,  admitted  the  obsequious  Chancellor  and 
again  made  fast  the  door. 

Greisengesang  clumsily  revolved  among  the  wings  of 
the  curtain ;  so  that  she  was  clear  of  it  as  soon  as  he. 

"My  God!"  he  cried.     "The  Baron!" 

"I  have  killed  him,"  she  said.     "  O,  killed  him!  " 

"Dear  me,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  "this  is  most 
unprecedented.     Lovers'  quarrels,"  he  added  ruefully, 

* '  redintegratio "  and  then  paused.     ' '  But,  my  deaf 

madam,"  he  broke  out  again,  "  in  the  name  of  all  that 
is  practical,  what  are  we  to  do  ?  This  is  exceedingly 
grave;  morally,  madam,  it  is  appalling.     I  take  the  lib- 

i8i 


PRINCE   OTTO 

erty,  your  Highness,  for  one  moment,  of  addressing  you 
as  a  daughter,  a  loved  although  respected  daughter; 
and  I  must  say  that  I  cannot  conceal  from  you  that  this 
is  morally  most  questionable.  And,  O  dear  me,  we  have 
a  dead  body! " 

She  had  watched  him  closely;  hope  fell  to  contempt; 
she  drew  away  her  skirts  from  his  weakness,  and,  in  the 
act,  her  own  strength  returned  to  her. 

''  See  if  he  be  dead,"  she  said;  not  one  word  of  ex- 
planation or  defence;  she  had  scorned  to  justify  herself 
before  so  poor  a  creature:  ''  See  if  he  be  dead"  was  all. 

With  the  greatest  compunction,  the  Chancellor  drew 
near;  and  as  he  did  so  the  wounded  Baron  rolled  his 
eyes. 

"He  lives,"  cried  the  old  courtier,  turning  effusively 
to  Seraphina.     **  Madam,  he  still  lives." 

"Help  him,  then,"  returned  the  Princess,  standing 
fixed.     "  Bind  up  his  wound." 

"Madam,  I  have  no  means,"  protested  the  Chan- 
cellor. 

"Can  you  not  take  your  handkerchief,  your  neck- 
cloth, anything  ?"  she  cried;  and  at  the  same  moment, 
from  her  light  muslin  gown  she  rent  off  a  flounce  and 
tossed  it  on  the  floor.  "  Take  that,"  she  said,  and  for 
the  first  time  directly  faced  Greisengesang. 

But  the  Chancellor  held  up  his  hands  and  turned  away 
his  head  in  agony.  The  grasp  of  the  falling  Baron  had 
torn  down  the  dainty  fabric  of  the  bodice;  and —  "O 
Highness!  "  cried  Greisengesang,  appalled,  "the  terrible 
disorder  of  your  toilette!  " 

"Take  up  that  flounce,"  she  said;  "the  man  may 
die." 

182 


THE  CAUSE  AND  OUTBREAK  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 

Greisengesang  turned  in  a  flutter  to  the  Baron,  and  at- 
tempted some  innocent  and  bungling  measures.  "  He 
still  breathes,"  he  kept  saying.  "  All  is  not  yet  over; 
he  is  not  yet  gone." 

''And  now,"  said  she,  'Mf  that  is  all  you  can  do, 
begone  and  get  some  porters;  he  must  instantly  go 
home." 

*'  Madam,"  cried  the  Chancellor,  ''  if  this  most  melan- 
choly sight  were  seen  in  town  —  O  dear,  the  State  would 
fall!"  he  piped. 

''There  is  a  litter  in  the  Palace,"  she  replied.  "It  is 
your  part  to  see  him  safe.  I  lay  commands  upon  you. 
On  your  life  it  stands." 

"1  see  it,  dear  Highness,"  he  jerked.  "  Clearly  1  see 
it.  But  how  ?  what  men  }  The  Prince's  servants  — 
yes.  They  had  a  personal  affection.  They  will  be  true, 
if  any." 

"  O,  not  them!  "  she  cried.  "Take  Sabra,  my  own 
man." 

"Sabra!  The  grand-mason?"  returned  the  Chan- 
cellor, aghast.  "If  he  but  saw  this,  he  would  sound 
the  tocsin  —  we  should  all  be  butchered." 

She  measured  the  depth  of  her  abasement  steadily. 
"Take  whom  you  must,"  she  said,  "and  bring  the 
litter  here." 

Once  she  was  alone  she  ran  to  the  Baron,  and  with  a 
sickening  heart  sought  to  allay  the  flux  of  blood.  The 
touch  of  the  skin  of  that  great  charlatan  revolted  her  to 
the  toes;  the  wound,  in  her  ignorant  eyes,  looked 
deathly;  yet  she  contended  with  her  shuddering,  and, 
with  more  skill  at  least  than  the  Chancellor's,  staunched 
the  welling  injury.      An  eye  unprejudiced  with  hate 

183 


PRINCE  OTTO 

would  have  admired  the  Baron  in  his  swoon;  he  looked 
so  great  and  shapely;  it  was  so  powerful  a  machine  that 
lay  arrested;  and  his  features,  cleared  for  the  moment 
both  of  temper  and  dissimulation,  were  seen  to  be  so 
purely  modelled.  But  it  was  not  thus  with  Seraphina. 
Her  victim,  as  he  lay  outspread,  twitching  a  little,  his 
big  chest  unbared,  fixed  her  with  his  ugliness;  and  her 
mind  flitted  for  a  glimpse  to  Otto. 

Rumours  began  to  sound  about  the  Palace  of  feet 
running  and  of  voices  raised;  the  echoes  of  the  great 
arched  staircase  were  voluble  of  some  confusion ;  and 
then  the  gallery  jarred  with  a  quick  and  heavy  tramp. 
It  was  the  Chancellor,  followed  by  four  of  Otto's  valets 
and  a  litter.  The  servants,  when  they  were  admitted, 
stared  at  the  dishevelled  Princess  and  the  wounded  man ; 
speech  was  denied  them,  but  their  thoughts  were  rid- 
dled with  profanity.  Gondremark  was  bundled  in ;  the 
curtains  of  the  litter  were  lowered;  the  bearers  carried 
it  forth,  and  the  Chancellor  followed  behind  with  a 
white  face. 

Seraphina  ran  to  the  window.  Pressing  her  face  upon 
the  pane,  she  could  see  the  terrace,  where  the  lights 
contended;  thence,  the  avenue  of  lamps  that  joined  the 
Palace  and  town ;  and  overhead  the  hollow  night  and  the 
larger  stars.  Presently  the  small  procession  issued  from 
the  Palace,  crossed  the  parade,  and  began  to  thread  the 
glittering  alley :  the  swinging  couch  with  its  four  por- 
ters, the  much-pondering  Chancellor  behind.  She 
watched  them  dwindle  with  strange  thoughts:  her- 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  scene,  her  mind  still  glancing  right 
and  left  on  the  overthrow  of  her  life  and  hopes.  There 
was  no  one  left  in  whom  she  might  confide;   none 

184 


THE  CAUSE  AND   OUTBREAK  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 

whose  hand  was  friendly,  or  on  whom  she  dared  to 
reckon  for  the  barest  loyalty.  With  the  fall  of  Gondre- 
mark  her  party,  her  brief  popularity,  had  fallen.  So  she 
sat  crouched  upon  the  window  seat,  her  brow  to  the 
cool  pane;  her  dress  in  tatters,  barely  shielding  her;  her 
mind  revolving  bitter  thoughts. 

Meanwhile,  consequences  were  fast  mounting;  and 
in  the  deceptive  quiet  of  the  night,  downfall  and  red 
revolt  were  brewing.  The  litter  had  passed  forth  be- 
tween the  iron  gates  and  entered  on  the  streets  of  the 
town.  By  what  flying  panic,  by  what  thrill  of  air  com- 
municated, who  shall  say  ?  but  the  passing  bustle  in  the 
Palace  had  already  reached  and  re-echoed  in  the  region 
of  the  burghers.  Rumour,  with  her  loud  whisper, 
hissed  about  the  town;  men  left  their  homes  without 
knowing  why ;  knots  formed  along  the  boulevard ;  under 
the  rare  lamps  and  the  great  limes  the  crowd  grew 
blacker. 

And  now  through  the  midst  of  that  expectant  com- 
pany, the  unusual  sight  of  a  closed  litter  was  observed 
approaching,  and  trotting  hard  behind  it  that  great  dig- 
nitary Cancellarius  Greisengesang.  Silence  looked  on 
as  it  went  by ;  and  as  soon  as  it  was  passed,  the  whis- 
pering seethed  over  like  a  boiling  pot.  The  knots  were 
sundered;  and  gradually,  one  following  another,  the 
whole  mob  began  to  form  into  a  procession  and  escort 
the  curtained  litter.  Soon  spokesmen,  a  little  bolder 
than  their  mates,  began  to  ply  the  Chancellor  with  ques- 
tions. Never  had  he  more  need  of  that  great  art  of 
falsehood,  by  whose  exercise  he  had  so  richly  lived. 
And  yet  now  he  stumbled,  the  master  passion,  fear,  be- 
traying him.     He  was  pressed ;  he  became  incoherent; 

185 


PRINCE  OTTO 

and  then  from  the  jolting  litter  came  a  groan.  In  the 
instant  hubbub  and  the  gathering  of  the  crowd  as  to  a 
natural  signal,  the  clear-eyed  quavering  Chancellor  heard 
the  catch  of  the  clock  before  it  strikes  the  hour  of  doom ; 
and  for  ten  seconds  he  forgot  himself  This  shall  atone 
for  many  sins.  He  plucked  a  bearer  by  the  sleeve. 
"Bid  the  Princess  flee.  All  is  lost,"  he  whispered. 
And  the  next  moment  he  was  babbling  for  his  life 
among  the  multitude. 

Five  minutes  later  the  wild-eyed  servant  burst  into 
the  armoury.  "  All  is  lost ! "  he  cried.  "  The  Chancel- 
lor bids  you  flee."  And  at  the  same  time,  looking 
through  the  window,  Seraphina  saw  the  black  rush  of 
the  populace  begin  to  invade  the  lamplit  avenue. 

'' Thank  y  ou,  Georg,"  she  said.  'Mthankyou.  Go." 
And  as  the  man  still  lingered,  ' '  I  bid  you  go, "  she  added. 
*'Save  yourself" 

Down  by  the  private  passage,  and  just  some  two 
hours  later,  Amalia  Seraphina,  the  last  Princess,  fol- 
lowed Otto  Johann  Friedrich,  the  last  Prince  of  GrOne- 
wald. 


1 86 


BOOK  III 
FORTUNATE  MISFORTUNE 


CHAPTER  I 

PRINCESS  CINDERELLA 

THE  porter,  drawn  by  the  growing  turmoil,  had 
vanished  from  the  postern,  and  the  door  stood  open 
on  the  darkness  of  the  night.  As  Seraphina  fled  up  the 
terraces,  the  cries  and  loud  footing  of  the  mob  drew 
nearer  the  doomed  palace;  the  rush  was  like  the  rush 
of  cavalry ;  the  sound  of  shattering  lamps  tingled  above 
the  rest;  and  overtowering  all,  she  heard  her  own  name 
bandied  among  the  shouters.  A  bugle  sounded  at  the 
door  of  the  guard-room;  one  gun  was  fired;  and  then, 
with  the  yell  of  hundreds,  Mittwalden  Palace  was  car- 
ried at  a  rush. 

Sped  by  these  dire  sounds  and  voices,  the  Princess 
scaled  the  long  garden,  skimming  like  a  bird  the  starlit 
stairways;  crossed  the  Park,  which  was  in  that  place 
narrow ;  and  plunged  upon  the  farther  side  into  the  rude 
shelter  of  the  forest.  So,  at  a  bound,  she  left  the  dis- 
cretion and  the  cheerful  lamps  of  Palace  evenings ;  ceased 
utterly  to  be  a  sovereign  lady;  and,  falling  from  the 
whole  height  of  civilisation,  ran  forth  into  the  woods,  a 
ragged  Cinderella. 

She  went  direct  before  her  through  an  open  tract  of  the 
forest,  full  of  brush  and  birches,  and  where  the  starlight 
guided  her;  and  beyond  that  again,  must  thread  the 

189 


PRINCE  OTTO 

columned  blackness  of  a  pine  grove  joining  overhead 
the  thatch  of  its  long  branches.  At  that  hour,  the  place 
was  breathless ;  a  horror  of  night  like  a  presence  occu- 
pied that  dungeon  of  the  wood;  and  she  went  groping, 
knocking  against  the  boles  —  her  ear,  betweenwhiles, 
strained  to  aching  and  yet  unrewarded. 

But  the  slope  of  the  ground  was  upward,  and  en- 
couraged her;  and  presently  she  issued  on  a  rocky  hill 
that  stood  forth  above  the  sea  of  forest.  All  around 
were  other  hilltops,  big  and  little;  sable  vales  of  forest 
between ;  overhead  the  open  heaven  and  the  brilliancy 
of  countless  stars ;  and  along  the  western  sky  the  dim 
forms  of  mountains.  The  glory  of  the  great  night  laid 
hold  upon  her;  her  eyes  shone  with  stars;  she  dipped 
her  sight  into  the  coolness  and  brightness  of  the  sky,  as 
she  might  have  dipped  her  wrist  into  a  spring;  and  her 
heart,  at  that  ethereal  shock,  began  to  move  more  so- 
berly. The  sun  that  sails  overhead,  ploughing  into  gold 
the  fields  of  daylight  azure  and  uttering  the  signal  to 
man's  myriads,  has  no  word  apart  for  man  the  indi- 
vidual; and  the  moon,  like  a  violin,  only  praises  and 
laments  our  private  destiny.  The  stars  alone,  cheerful 
whisperers,  confer  quietly  with  each  of  us  like  friends ; 
they  give  ear  to  our  sorrows  smilingly,  like  wise  old 
men,  rich  in  tolerance;  and  by  their  double  scale,  so 
small  to  the  eye,  so  vast  to  the  imagination,  they  keep 
before  the  mind  the  double  character  of  man's  nature 
and  fate. 

There  sate  the  Princess,  beautifully  looking  upon 
beauty,  in  council  with  these  glad  advisers.  Bright  like 
pictures,  clear  like  a  voice  in  the  porches  of  her  ear, 
memory  re-enacted  the  tumult  of  the, evening:    The 

190 


PRINCESS  CINDERELLA 

Countess  and  the  dancing  fan,  the  big  Baron  on  his 
knees,  the  blood  on  the  polished  floor,  the  knocking, 
the  swing  of  the  litter  down  the  avenue  of  lamps,  the 
messenger,  the  cries  of  the  charging  mob;  and  yet  all 
were  far  away  and  phantasmal,  and  she  was  still  heal- 
ingly  conscious  of  the  peace  and  glory  of  the  night. 
She  looked  towards  Mittwalden ;  and  above  the  hilltop, 
which  already  hid  it  from  her  view,  a  throbbing  red- 
ness hinted  of  fire.  Better  so :  better  so,  that  she  should 
fall  with  tragic  greatness,  lit  by  a  blazing  palace !  She 
felt  not  a  trace  of  pity  for  Gondremark  or  of  concern  for 
Grunewald :  that  period  of  her  life  was  closed  for  ever, 
a  wrench  of  wounded  vanity  alone  surviving.  She  had 
but  one  clear  idea:  to  flee;  —  and  another,  obscure  and 
half-rejected,  although  still  obeyed :  to  flee  in  the  direction 
of  the  Felsenburg.  She  had  a  duty  to  perform,  she  must 
free  Otto  —  so  her  mind  said,  very  coldly ;  but  her  heart 
embraced  the  notion  of  that  duty  even  with  ardour,  and 
her  hands  began  to  yearn  for  the  grasp  of  kindness. 

She  rose,  with  a  start  of  recollection,  and  plunged 
down  the  slope  into  the  covert.  The  woods  received 
and  closed  upon  her.  Once  more,  she  wandered  and 
hasted  in  a  blot,  uncheered,  unpiloted.  Here  and  there, 
Indeed,  through  rents  in  the  wood-roof,  a  glimmer  at- 
tracted her;  here  and  there,  a  tree  stood  out  among  its 
neighbours  by  some  force  of  outline;  here  and  there,  a 
brushing  among  the  leaves,  a  notable  blackness,  a  dim 
shine,  relieved,  only  to  exaggerate,  the  solid  oppression 
of  the  night  and  silence.  And  betweenwhiles,  the  un- 
featured  darkness  would  redouble  and  the  whole  ear  of 
night  appear  to  be  gloating  on  her  steps.  Now  she 
would  stand  still,  and  the  silence  would  grow  and  grow, 

19! 


PRINCE  OTTO 

till  it  weighed  upon  her  breathing;  and  then  she  would 
address  herself  again  to  run,  stumbling,  falling,  and  still 
hurrying  the  rriore.  And  presently  the  whole  wood 
rocked  and  began  to  run  along  with  her.  The  noise  of 
her  own  mad  passage  through  the  silence  spread  and 
echoed,  and  filled  the  night  with  terror.  Panic  hunted 
her:  Panic  from  the  trees  reached  forth  with  clutching 
branches;  the  darkness  was  lit  up  and  peopled  with 
strange  forms  and  faces.  She  strangled  and  fled  before 
her  fears.  And  yet  in  the  last  fortress,  reason,  blown 
upon  by  these  gusts  of  terror,  still  shone  with  a  troubled 
light.  She  knew,  yet  could  not  act  upon  her  know- 
ledge; she  knew  that  she  must  stop,  and  yet  she  still 
ran. 

She  was  already  near  madness,  when  she  broke  sud- 
denly into  a  narrow  clearing.  At  the  same  time  the 
din  grew  louder,  and  she  became  conscious  of  vague 
forms  and  fields  of  whiteness.  And  with  that  the  earth 
gave  way ;  she  fell  and  found  her  feet  again  with  an  in- 
credible shock  to  her  senses,  and  her  mind  was  swal- 
lowed up. 

When  she  came  again  to  herself,  she  was  standing  to 
the  mid-leg  in  an  icy  eddy  of  a  brook,  and  leaning  with 
one  hand  on  the  rock  from  which  it  poured.  The  spray 
had  wet  her  hair.  She  saw  the  white  cascade,  the 
stars  wavering  in  the  shaken  pool,  foam  flitting,  and 
high  overhead  the  tall  pines  on  either  hand  serenely 
drinking  starshine;  and  in  the  sudden  quiet  of  her  spirit, 
she  heard  with  joy  the  firm  plunge  of  the  cataract  in  the 
pool.  She  scrambled  forth  dripping.  In  the  face  of  her 
proved  weakness,  to  adventure  again  upon  the  horror 
of  blackness  in  the  groves  were  a  suicide  of  life  or  rea- 

192 


PRINCESS  CINDERELLA 

son.  But  here,  in  the  alley  of  the  brook,  with  the  kind 
stars  above  her,  and  the  moon  presently  swimming  into 
sight,  she  could  await  the  coming  of  day  without 
alarm. 

This  lane  of  pine  trees  ran  very  rapidly  down  hill  and 
wound  among  the  woods ;  but  it  was  a  wider  thorough- 
fare than  the  brook  needed,  and  here  and  there  were 
little  dimpling  lawns  and  coves  of  the  forest,  where  the 
starshine  slumbered.  Such  a  lawn  she  paced,  taking 
patience  bravely;  and  now  she  looked  up  the  hill  and 
saw  the  brook  coming  down  to  her  in  a  series  of  cas- 
cades; and  now  approached  the  margin,  where  it  welled 
among  the  rushes  silently ;  and  now  gazed  at  the  great 
company  of  heaven  with  an  enduring  wonder.  The 
early  evening  had  fallen  chill,  but  the  night  was  now 
temperate;  out  of  the  recesses  of  the  wood  there  came 
mild  airs  as  from  a  deep  and  peaceful  breathing;  and 
the  dew  was  heavy  on  the  grass  and  the  tight-shut 
daisies.  This  was  the  girl's  first  night  under  the  naked 
heaven ;  and  now  that  her  fears  were  overpast,  she  was 
touched  to  the  soul  by  its  serene  amenity  and  peace. 
Kindly  the  host  of  heaven  blinked  down  upon  that  wan- 
dering Princess;  and  the  honest  brook  had  no  words 
but  to  encourage  her. 

At  last  she  began  to  be  aware  of  a  wonderful  revolu- 
tion, compared  to  which  the  fire  of  Mittwalden  Palace 
was  but  the  crack  and  flash  of  a  percussion  cap.  The 
countenance  with  which  the  pines  regarded  her  began 
insensibly  to  change ;  the  grass  too,  short  as  it  was,  and 
the  whole  winding  staircase  of  the  brook's  course,  be- 
gan to  wear  a  solemn  freshness  of  appearance.  And 
this  slow  transfiguration  reached  her  heart,  and  played 

193 


PRINCE  OTTO 

Upon  it,  and  transpierced  it  with  a  serious  thrill.  She 
looked  all  about;  the  whole  face  of  nature  looked  back, 
brimful  of  meaning,  finger  on  lip,  leaking  its  glad  se- 
cret. She  looked  up.  Heaven  was  almost  emptied  of 
stars.  Such  as  still  lingered  shone  with  a  changed  and 
waning  brightness,  and  began  to  faint  in  their  stations. 
And  the  colour  of  the  sky  itself  was  the  most  wonder- 
ful ;  for  the  rich  blue  of  the  night  had  now  melted  and 
softened  and  brightened;  and  there  had  succeeded  in  its 
place  a  hue  that  has  no  name,  and  that  is  never  seen  but 
as  the  herald  of  morning.  "O!  "  she  cried,  joy  catch- 
ing at  her  voice,  ''O!  it  is  the  dawn ! " 

In  a  breath  she  passed  over  the  brook,  and  looped  up 
her  skirts  and  fairly  ran  in  the  dim  alleys.  As  she  ran, 
her  ears  were  aware  of  many  pipings,  more  beautiful 
than  music;  in  the  small  dish-shaped  houses  in  the  fork 
of  giant  arms,  where  they  had  lain  all  night,  lover  by 
lover,  warmly  pressed,  the  bright-eyed,  big-hearted 
singers  began  to  awaken  for  the  day.  Her  heart  melted 
and  flowed  forth  to  them  in  kindness.  And  they,  from 
their  small  and  high  perches  in  the  clerestories  of  the 
wood  cathedral,  peered  down  sidelong  at  the  ragged 
Princess  as  she  flitted  below  them  on  the  carpet  of  the 
moss  and  tassel. 

Soon  she  had  struggled  to  a  certain  hilltop,  and  saw 
far  before  her  the  silent  inflooding  of  the  day.  Out  of 
the  East  it  welled  and  whitened;  the  darkness  trem- 
bled into  light;  and  the  stars  were  extinguished  like  the 
street-lamps  of  a  human  city.  The  whiteness  bright- 
ened into  silver,  the  silver  warmed  into  gold,  the  gold 
kindled  into  pure  and  living  fire;  and  the  face  of  the 
East  was  barred  with  elemental  scarlet.     The  day  drew 

194 


PRINCESS  CINDERELLA 

its  first  long  breath,  steady  and  chill;  and  for  leagues 
around  the  woods  sighed  and  shivered.  And  then,  at 
one  bound,  the  sun  had  floated  up;  and  her  startled 
eyes  received  day's  first  arrow,  and  quailed  under  the 
buffet  On  every  side,  the  shadows  leaped  from  their 
ambush  and  fell  prone.  The  day  was  come,  plain  and 
garish ;  and  up  the  steep  and  solitary  eastern  heaven, 
the  sun,  victorious  over  his  competitors,  continued 
slowly  and  royally  to  mount. 

Seraphina  drooped  for  a  little,  leaning  on  a  pine,  the 
shrill  joy  of  the  woodlands  mocking  her.  The  shelter 
of  the  night,  the  thrilling  and  joyous  changes  of  the 
dawn,  were  over;  and  now,  in  the  hot  eye  of  the  day, 
she  turned  uneasily  and  looked  sighingly  about  her. 
Some  way  off  among  the  lower  woods,  a  pillar  of  smoke 
was  mounting  and  melting  in  the  gold  and  blue.  There, 
surely  enough,  were  human  folk,  the  hearth-surround- 
ers.  Man's  fingers  had  laid  the  twigs;  it  was  man's 
breath  that  had  quickened  and  encouraged  the  baby 
flames;  and  now,  as  the  fire  caught,  it  would  be  play- 
ing ruddily  on  the  face  of  its  creator.  At  the  thought, 
she  felt  a-cold  and  little  and  lost  in  that  great  out-of- 
doors.  The  electric  shock  of  the  young  sunbeams  and 
the  unhuman  beauty  of  the  woods  began  to  irk  and 
daunt  her.  The  covert  of  the  house,  the  decent  privacy 
of  rooms,  the  swept  and  regulated  fire,  all  that  denotes 
or  beautifies  the  home  life  of  man,  began  to  draw  her  as 
with  cords.  The  pillar  of  smoke  was  now  risen  into 
some  stream  of  moving  air;  it  began  to  lean  out  side- 
ways in  a  pennon;  and  thereupon,  as  though  the  change 
had  been  a  summons,  Seraphina  plunged  once  more  into 
the  labyrinth  of  the  wood. 

195 


PRINCE  OTTO 

She  left  day  upon  the  high  ground.  In  the  lower 
groves  there  still  lingered  the  blue  early  twilight  and  the 
seizing  freshness  of  the  dew.  But  here  and  there, 
above  this  field  of  shadow,  the  head  of  a  great  out- 
spread pine  was  already  glorious  with  day;  and  here 
and  there,  through  the  breaches  of  the  hills,  the  sun- 
beams made  a  great  and  luminous  entry.  Here  Sera- 
phina  hastened  along  forest  paths.  She  had  lost  sight 
of  the  pilot  smoke,  which  blew  another  way,  and  con- 
ducted herself  in  that  great  wilderness  by  the  direction 
of  the  sun.  But  presently  fresh  signs  bespoke  the 
neighbourhood  of  man ;  felled  trunks,  white  slivers  from 
the  axe,  bundles  of  green  boughs,  and  stacks  of  fire- 
wood. These  guided  her  forward;  until  she  came 
forth  at  last  upon  the  clearing  whence  the  smoke  arose. 
A  hut  stood  in  the  clear  shadow,  hard  by  a  brook  which 
made  a  series  of  inconsiderable  falls ;  and  on  the  thresh- 
old, the  Princess  saw  a  sun-burnt  and  hard-featured 
woodman,  standing  with  his  hands  behind  his  back  and 
gazing  skyward. 

She  went  to  him  directly:  a  beautiful,  bright-eyed, 
and  haggard  vision ;  splendidly  arrayed  and  pitifully  tat- 
tered; the  diamond  ear-drops  still  glittering  in  her  ears; 
and  with  the  movement  of  her  coming,  one  small  breast 
showing  and  hiding  among  the  ragged  covert  of  the 
laces.  At  that  ambiguous  hour,  and  coming  as  she  did 
from  the  great  silence  of  the  forest,  the  man  drew  back 
from  the  Princess  as  from  something  elfin. 

*'  I  am  cold,"  she  said,  **  and  weary.  Let  me  rest  be- 
side your  fire." 

The  woodman  was  visibly  commoved,  but  answered 
nothing. 

196 


PRINCESS  CINDERELLA 

•*I  will  pay,"  she  said,  and  then  repented  of  the 
words,  catching  perhaps  a  spark  of  terror  from  his 
frightened  eyes.  But,  as  usual,  her  courage  rekindled 
brighter  for  the  check.  She  put  him  from  the  door 
and  entered;  and  he  followed  her  in  superstitious 
wonder. 

Within,  the  hut  was  rough  and  dark;  but  on  the  stone 
that  served  as  hearth,  twigs  and  a  few  dry  branches 
burned  with  the  brisk  sounds  and  all  the  variable  beauty 
of  fire.  The  very  sight  of  it  composed  her ;  she  crouched 
hard  by  on  the  earth  floor  and  shivered  in  the  glow,  and 
looked  upon  the  eating  blaze  with  admiration.  The 
woodman  was  still  staring  at  his  guest :  at  the  wreck 
of  the  rich  dress>  the  bare  arms,  the  bedraggled  laces 
and  the  gems.     He  found  no  word  to  utter. 

**Give  me  food,"  said  she,  —  ''here,  by  the  fire." 

He  set  down  a  pitcher  of  coarse  wine,  bread,  a  piece 
of  cheese,  and  a  handful  of  raw  onions.  The  bread 
was  hard  and  sour,  the  cheese  like  leather;  even  the 
onion,  which  ranks  with  the  truffle  and  the  nectarine  in 
the  chief  place  of  honour  of  earth's  fruits,  is  not  perhaps 
a  dish  for  princesses  when  raw.  But  she  ate,  if  not 
with  appetite,  with  courage ;  and  when  she  had  eaten, 
did  not  disdain  the  pitcher.  In  all  her  life  before,  she 
had  not  tasted  of  gross  food  nor  drunk  after  another; 
but  a  brave  woman  far  more  readily  accepts  a  change 
of  circumstances  than  the  bravest  man.  All  that  while, 
the  woodman  continued  to  observe  her  furtively,  many 
low  thoughts  of  fear  and  greed  contending  in  his  eyes. 
She  read  them  clearly,  and  she  knew  she  must  begone. 

Presently  she  arose  and  offered  him  a  florin, 

*'Will  that  repay  you  ?"  she  asked. 
19a 


PRINCE  OTTO 

But  here  the  man  found  his  tongue.  "  I  must  have 
more  than  that,"  said  he. 

"  It  is  all  I  have  to  give  you,"  she  returned,  and  passed 
him  by  serenely. 

Yet  her  heart  trembled,  for  she  saw  his  hand  stretched 
forth  as  if  to  arrest  her,  and  his  unsteady  eyes  wander- 
ing to  his  axe.  A  beaten  path  led  westward  from  the 
clearing,  and  she  swiftly  followed  it.  She  did  not  glance 
behind  her.  But  as  soon  as  the  least  turning  of  the  path 
had  concealed  her  from  the  woodman's  eyes,  she  slipped 
among  the  trees  and  ran  till  she  deemed  herself  in  safety. 

By  this  time  the  strong  sunshine  pierced  in  a  thousand 
places  the  pine-thatch  of  the  forest,  fired  the  red  boles, 
irradiated  the  cool  aisles  of  shadow,  and  burned  in  jew- 
els on  the  grass.  The  gum  of  these  trees  was  dearer 
to  the  senses  than  the  gums  of  Araby;  each  pine,  in  the 
lusty  morning  sunlight,  burned  its  own  wood-incense; 
and  now  and  then  a  breeze  would  rise  and  toss  these 
rooted  censers,  and  send  shade  and  sun-gem  flitting, 
swift  as  swallows,  thick  as  bees ;  and  wake  a  brushing 
bustle  of  sounds  that  murmured  and  went  by. 

On  she  passed,  and  up  and  down,  in  sun  and  shadow; 
now  aloft  on  the  bare  ridge  among  the  rocks  and  birches, 
with  the  lizards  and  the  snakes;  and  anon  in  the  deep 
grove  among  sunless  pillars.  Now  she  followed  wan- 
dering wood-paths,  in  the  maze  of  valleys;  and  again, 
from  a  hilltop,  beheld  the  distant  mountains  and  the 
great  birds  circling  under  the  sky.  She  would  see  afar 
off  a  nestling  hamlet,  and  go  round  to  avoid  it.  Below, 
she  traced  the  course  of  the  foam  of  mountain  torrents. 
Nearer  hand,  she  saw  where  the  tender  springs  welled 
up  in  silence,  or  oozed  in  green  moss ;  or  in  the  more 

198 


PRINCESS  CINDERELLA 

favoured  hollows  a  whole  family  of  infant  rivers  would 
combine,  and  tinkle  in  the  stones,  and  lie  in  pools  to  be 
a  bathing-place  for  sparrows,  or  fall  from  the  sheer  rock 
in  rods  of  crystal.  Upon  all  these  things,  as  she  still 
sped  along  in  the  bright  air,  she  looked  with  a  rapture  of 
surprise  and  a  joyful  fainting  of  the  heart;  they  seemed 
so  novel,  they  touched  so  strangely  home,  they  were  so 
hued  and  scented,  they  were  so  beset  and  canopied  by 
the  dome  of  the  blue  air  of  heaven. 

At  length,  when  she  was  well  weary,  she  came  upon 
a  wide  and  shallow  pool.  Stones  stood  in  it,  like  islands ; 
bullrushes  fringed  the  coast;  the  floor  was  paved  with 
the  pine  needles,  and  the  pines  themselves,  whose  roots 
made  promontories,  looked  down  silently  on  their  green 
images.  She  crept  to  the  margin  and  beheld  herself 
with  wonder,  a  hollow  and  bright-eyed  phantom,  in 
the  ruins  of  her  palace  robe.  The  breeze  now  shook 
her  image ;  now  it  would  be  marred  with  flies ;  and  at 
that  she  smiled ;  and  from  the  fading  circles,  her  coun- 
terpart smiled  back  to  her  and  looked  kind.  She  sat 
long  in  the  warm  sun,  and  pitied  her  bare  arms  that 
were  all  bruised  and  marred  with  falling,  and  marvelled 
to  see  that  she  was  dirty,  and  could  not  grow  to  be- 
lieve that  she  had  gone  so  long  in  such  a  strange  dis- 
order. 

Then,  with  a  sigh,  she  addressed  herself  to  make  a 
toilet  by  that  forest  mirror,  washed  herself  pure  from  all 
the  stains  of  her  adventure,  took  off  her  jewels  and 
wrapped  them  in  her  handkerchief,  re-arranged  the  tat- 
ters of  her  dress,  and  took  down  the  folds  of  her  hair. 
She  shook  it  round  her  face,  and  the  pool  repeated  her 
thus  veiled.    Her  hair  had  smelt  like  violets,  she  remem- 

199 


PRINCE  OTTO 

bered  Otto  saying;  and  so  now  she  tried  to  smell  it, 
and  then  shook  her  head,  and  laughed  a  little,  sadly,  to 
herself. 

The  laugh  was  returned  upon  her  in  a  childish  echo. 
She  looked  up;  and  lo!  two  children  looking  on, —  a 
small  girl  and  a  yet  smaller  boy,  standing,  like  play- 
things, by  the  pool,  below  a  spreading  pine.  Seraphina 
was  not  fond  of  children,  and  now  she  was  startled  to 
the  heart. 

''  Who  are  you  ?  "  she  cried,  hoarsely. 

The  mites  huddled  together  and  drew  back;  and 
Seraphina's  heart  reproached  her  that  she  should  have 
frightened  things  so  quaint  and  little,  and  yet  alive  v/ith 
senses.  She  thought  upon  the  birds  and  looked  again 
at  her  two  visitors;  so  little  larger  and  so  far  more  in- 
nocent. On  their  clear  faces,  as  in  a  pool,  she  saw  the 
reflection  of  their  fears.  With  gracious  purpose  she 
arose. 

**Come,"  she  said,  ''do  not  be  afraid  of  me,"  and 
took  a  step  towards  them. 

But  alas!  at  the  first  moment,  the  two  poor  babes 
in  the  wood  turned  and  ran  helter-skelter  from  the 
Princess. 

The  most  desolate  pang  was  struck  into  the  girl's 
heart.  Here  she  was,  twenty-two  —  soon  twenty-three 
—  and  not  a  creature  loved  her;  none  but  Otto;  and 
would  even  he  forgive  ?  If  she  began  weeping  in  these 
woods  alone,  it  would  mean  death  or  madness.  Hastily 
she  trod  the  thoughts  out  like  a  burning  paper;  hastily 
rolled  up  her  locks,  and  with  terror  dogging  her,  and 
her  whole  bosom  sick  with  grief,  resumed  her  journey. 

Past  ten  in  the  forenoon,  she  struck  a  highroad,  march- 
200 


PRINCESS  CINDERELLA 

ing  in  that  place  uphill  between  two  stately  groves,  a 
river  of  sunlight;  and  here,  dead  weary,  careless  of 
consequences,  and  taking  some  courage  from  the  human 
and  civilised  neighborhood  of  the  road,  she  stretched 
herself  on  the  green  margin  in  the  shadow  of  a  tree. 
Sleep  closed  on  her,  at  first  with  a  horror  of  fainting, 
but  when  she  ceased  to  struggle,  kindly  embracing  her. 
So  she  was  taken  home  for  a  little,  from  all  her  toils  and 
sorrows,  to  her  Father's  arms.  And  there  in  the  mean- 
while her  body  lay  exposed  by  the  highwayside,  in 
tattered  finery ;  and  on  either  hand  from  the  woods  the 
birds  came  flying  by  and  calling  upon  others,  and  de- 
bated in  their  own  tongue  this  strange  appearance. 

The  sun  pursued  his  journey ;  the  shadow  flitted  from 
her  feet,  shrank  higher  and  higher,  and  was  upon  the 
point  of  leaving  her  altogether,  when  the  rumble  of  a 
coach  was  signalled  to  and  fro  by  the  birds.  The  road 
in  that  part  was  very  steep ;  the  rumble  drew  near  with 
great  deliberation;  and  ten  minutes  passed  before  a 
gentleman  appeared,  walking  with  a  sober  elderly  gait 
upon  the  grassy  margin  of  the  highway,  and  looking 
pleasantly  around  him  as  he  walked.  From  time  to 
time  he  paused,  took  out  his  note-book  and  made  an 
entry  with  a  pencil;  and  any  spy  who  had  been  near 
enough  would  have  heard  him  mumbling  words  as 
though  he  were  a  poet  testing  verses.  The  voice  of  the 
wheels  was  still  faint,  and  it  was  plain  the  traveller  had 
far  outstripped  his  carriage. 

He  had  drawn  very  near  to  where  the  Princess  lay 
asleep,  before  his  eye  alighted  on  her;  but  when  it 
did  he  started,  pocketed  his  note-book,  and  approached. 
There  was  a  mile-stone  close  to  where  she  lay;  and  he 


PRINCE  OTTO 

sat  down  on  that  and  coolly  studied  her.  She  lay  upon 
one  side,  all  curled  and  sunken,  her  brow  on  one  bare 
arm,  the  other  stretched  out,  limp  and  dimpled.  Her 
young  body,  like  a  thing  thrown  down,  had  scarce  a 
mark  of  life.  Her  breathing  stirred  her  not.  The  dead- 
liest fatigue  was  thus  confessed  in  every  language  of  the 
sleeping  flesh.  The  traveller  smiled  grimly.  As  though 
he  had  looked  upon  a  statue,  he  made  a  grudging  in- 
ventory of  her  charms :  the  figure  in  that  touching  free- 
dom of  forgetfulness  surprised  him ;  the  flush  of  slumber 
became  her  like  a  flower. 

''  Upon  my  word,"  he  thought,  ''  I  did  not  think  the 
girl  could  be  so  pretty.  And  to  think,"  he  added, 
''that  I  am  under  obligation  not  to  use  one  word  of 
this!" 

He  put  forth  his  stick  and  touched  her;  and  at  that 
she  awoke,  sat  up  with  a  cry,  and  looked  upon  him 
wildly. 

"I  trust  your  Highness  has  slept  well,"  he  said, 
nodding. 

But  she  only  uttered  sounds. 

"Compose  yourself,"  said  he,  giving  her  certainly  a 
brave  example  in  his  own  demeanour.  "My  chaise  is 
close  at  hand;  and  I  shall  have,  I  trust,  the  singular  en- 
tertainment of  abducting  a  sovereign  Princess." 

"Sir  John! "  she  said,  at  last. 

"At  your  Highness's  disposal,"  he  replied. 

She  sprang  to  her  feet.  "  O,"  she  cried,  "  have  you 
come  from  Mittwalden  ?  " 

"This  morning,"  he  returned,  "I  left  it;  and  if 
there  is  any  one  less  likely  to  return  to  it  than  yourself, 
Dehold  him! " 

202 


PRINCESS  CINDERELLA 

''The  Baron "  she  began,  and  paused. 

''Madam,"  he  answered,  "it  was  well  meant,  and 
you  are  quite  a  Judith ;  but  after  the  hours  that  have 
elapsed,  you  will  probably  be  relieved  to  hear  that  he  is 
fairly  well.  I  took  his  news  this  morning  ere  I  left. 
Doing  fairly  well,  they  said,  but  suffering  acutely. 
Hey.?  —  acutely.  They  could  hear  his  groans  in  the 
next  room." 

"And  the  Prince,"  she  asked,  "is  anything  known 
of  him  ?  " 

"It  is  reported,"  replied  Sir  John,  with  the  same 
pleasurable  deliberation,  "that  upon  that  point  your 
Highness  is  the  best  authority." 

"Sir  John,"  she  said  eagerly,  "you  were  generous 
enough  to  speak  about  your  carriage.  Will  you,  I  be- 
seech you,  will  you  take  me  to  the  Felsenburg  ?  I  have 
business  there  of  an  extreme  importance." 

"I  can  refuse  you  nothing,"  replied  the  old  gentle- 
man, gravely  and  seriously  enough.  "Whatever, 
madam,  it  is  in  my  power  to  do  for  you,  that  shall  be 
done  with  pleasure.  As  soon  as  my  chaise  shall  over- 
take us,  it  is  yours  to  carry  you  where  you  will.  But," 
added  he,  reverting  to  his  former  manner,  "I  observe 
you  ask  me  nothing  of  the  Palace." 

"  I  do  not  care,"  she  said.  "  I  thought  I  saw  it  burn- 
ing." 

"Prodigious!"  said  the  Baronet.  "You  thought? 
And  can  the  loss  of  forty  toilettes  leave  you  cold  ?  Well, 
madam,  I  admire  your  fortitude.  And  the  state,  too  ? 
As  1  left,  the  government  was  sitting, — the  new  gov- 
ernment, of  which  at  least  two  members  must  be  known 
to  you  by  name :  Sabra,  who  had,  I  believe,  the  benefit 

203 


PRINCE  OTTO 

of  being  formed  in  your  employment — a  footman, — 
am  I  right?  —  and  our  old  friend  the  Chancellor,  in 
something  of  a  subaltern  position.  But  in  these  con- 
vulsions, the  last  shall  be  first  and  the  first  last." 

**  Sir  John,"  she  said,  with  an  air  of  perfect  honesty, 
*M  am  sure  you  mean  most  kindly,  but  these  matters 
have  no  interest  for  me." 

The  Baronet  was  so  utterly  discountenanced,  that  he 
hailed  the  appearance  of  his  chaise  with  welcome,  and, 
by  way  of  saying  something,  proposed  that  they  should 
walk  back  to  meet  it.  So  it  was  done ;  and  he  helped 
her  in  with  courtesy,  mounted  to  her  side,  and  from 
various  receptacles  (for  the  chaise  was  most  completely 
fitted  out)  produced  fruits  and  truffled  liver,  beautiful 
white  bread,  and  a  bottle  of  delicate  wine.  With  these 
he  served  her  like  a  father,  coaxing  and  praising  her  to 
fresh  exertions ;  and  during  all  that  time,  as  though  si- 
lenced by  the  laws  of  hospitality,  he  was  not  guilty  of 
the  shadow  of  a  sneer.  Indeed  his  kindness  seemed  so 
genuine  that  Seraphina  was  moved  to  gratitude. 

''Sir  John,"  she  said,  ''you  hate  me  in  your  heart; 
why  are  you  so  kind  to  me  ?  " 

"  Ah,  my  good  lady,"  said  he,  with  no  disclaimer  of 
the  accusation,  "I  have  the  honour  to  be  much  your 
husband's  friend,  and  somewhat  his  admirer." 

"  You !  "  she  cried.  "  They  told  me  you  wrote  cruelly 
of  both  of  us." 

"Such  was  the  strange  path  by  which  we  grew  ac- 
quainted," said  Sir  John.  "I  had  written,  madam, 
with  particular  cruelty  (since  that  shall  be  the  phrase) 
of  your  fair  self.  Your  husband  set  me  at  liberty,  gave 
me  a  passport,  ordered  a  carriage,  and  then,  with  the 

204 


PRINCESS  CINDERELLA 

most  boyish  spirit,  challenged  me  to  fight.  Knowing 
the  nature  of  his  married  life,  I  thought  the  dash  and 
loyalty  he  showed  delightful.  *Do  not  be  afraid,'  says 
he;  'if  I  am  killed,  there  is  nobody  to  miss  me.'  It 
appears  you  subsequently  thought  of  that  yourself  But 
I  digress.  I  explained  to  him  it  was  impossible  that  I 
could  fight !  *  Not  if  I  strike  you  ? '  says  he.  Very 
droll;  I  wish  I  could  have  put  it  in  my  book.  How- 
ever, I  was  conquered,  took  the  young  gentleman  to  my 
high  favour,  and  tore  up  my  bits  of  scandal  on  the  spot. 
That  is  one  of  the  little  favours,  madam,  that  you  owe 
your  husband." 

Seraphina  sat  for  some  while  in  silence.  She  could 
bear  to  be  misjudged  without  a  pang  by  those  whom 
she  contemned;  she  had  none  of  Otto's  eagerness  to  be 
approved,  but  went  her  own  way  straight  and  head  in 
air.  To  Sir  John,  however,  after  what  he  had  said, 
and  as  her  husband's  friend,  she  was  prepared  to 
stoop. 

**  What  do  you  think  of  me  ?'*  she  asked  abruptly. 

"I  have  told  you  already,"  said  Sir  John:  "I  think 
you  want  another  glass  of  my  good  wine." 

*'  Come,"  she  said,  ''this  is  unlike  you.  You  are  not 
wont  to  be  afraid.  You  say  that  you  admire  my  hus- 
band: in  his  name,  be  honest." 

"  I  admire  your  courage,"  said  the  Baronet.  "  Beyond 
that,  as  you  have  guessed,  and  indeed  said,  our  natures 
are  not  sympathetic." 

' *  You  spoke  of  scandal, "  pursued  Seraphina.  * '  Was 
the  scandal  great  ?  " 

"It  was  considerable,"  said  Sir  John. 

"And  you  believed  it?"  she  demanded. 
305 


PRINCE  OTTO 

'*0,  madam,"  said  Sir  John,  ''the  question!" 

** Thank  you  for  that  answer!"  cried  Seraphina. 
"  And  now  here,  I  will  tell  you,  upon  my  honour,  upon 
my  soul,  in  spite  of  all  the  scandal  in  this  world,  I  am 
as  true  a  wife  as  ever  stood." 

''We  should  probably  not  agree  upon  a  definition," 
observed  Sir  John. 

"O!"  she  cried,  "I  have  abominably  used  him  —  I 
know  that;  it  is  not  that  I  mean.  But  if  you  admire 
my  husband,  I  insist  that  you  shall  understand  me:  I 
can  look  him  in  the  face  without  a  blush." 

"It  may  be,  madam,"  said  Sir  John;  "nor  have  I 
presumed  to  think  the  contrary." 

"You  will  not  believe  me  ?  "  she  cried.  "  You  think 
I  am  a  guilty  wife  ?    You  think  he  was  my  lover  ?" 

"Madam,"  returned  the  Baronet,  "when  I  tore  up 
my  papers,  I  promised  your  good  husband  to  concern 
myself  no  more  with  your  affairs ;  and  I  assure  you  for 
the  last  time  that  I  have  no  desire  to  judge  you." 

"But  you  will  not  acquit  me!  Ah!  "  she  cried,  ''he 
will  —  he  knows  me  better!  " 

Sir  John  smiled. 

"  You  smile  at  my  distress  ?"  asked  Seraphina. 

"At  your  woman's  coolness,"  said  Sir  John.  "A 
man  would  scarce  have  had  the  courage  of  that  cry, 
which  was,  for  all  that,  very  natural,  and  I  make  no 
doubt  quite  true.  But  remark,  madam  —  since  you  do 
me  the  honour  to  consult  me  gravely  —  I  have  no  pity 
for  what  you  call  your  distresses.  You  have  been  com- 
pletely selfish,  and  now  reap  the  consequence.  Had 
you  once  thought  of  your  husband,  instead  of  singly 
thinking  of  yourself,  you  would  not  now  have  been 

206 


PRINCESS  CINDERELLA 

alone,  a  fugitive,  with  blood  upon  your  hands,  and 
hearing  from  a  morose  old  Englishman  truth  more  bit- 
ter than  scandal." 

**I  thank  you,"  she  said,  quivering.  ''This  is  very 
true.     Will  you  stop  the  carriage  ?  " 

"No,  child,"  said  Sir  John,  "not  until  I  see  you  mis- 
tress of  yourself." 

There  was  a  long  pause,  during  which  the  carriage 
rolled  by  rock  and  woodland. 

"And  now,"  she  resumed,  with  perfect  steadiness, 
"will  you  consider  me  composed  ?  I  request  you,  as  a 
gentleman,  to  let  me  out." 

"  I  think  you  do  unwisely,"  he  replied.  "Continue, 
if  you  please,  to  use  my  carriage." 

"Sir  John,"  she  said,  "if  death  were  sitting  on  that 
pile  of  stones,  I  would  alight!  I  do  not  blame,  I  thank 
you;  I  now  know  how  I  appear  to  others;  but  sooner 
than  draw  breath  beside  a  man  who  can  so  think  of  me, 
I  would O!  "  she  cried,  and  was  silent. 

Sir  John  pulled  the  string,  alighted,  and  offered  her 
his  hand ;  but  she  refused  the  help. 

The  road  had  now  issued  from  the  valleys  in  which  it 
had  been  winding,  and  come  to  that  part  of  its  course 
where  it  runs,  like  a  cornice,  along  the  brow  of  the  steep 
northward  face  of  Griinewald.  The  place  where  they 
had  alighted  was  at  a  salient  angle;  a  bold  rock  and 
some  wind-tortured  pine-trees  overhung  it  from  above; 
far  below  the  blue  plains  lay  forth  and  melted  into 
heaven;  and  before  them  the  road,  by  a  succession  of 
bold  zigzags,  was  seen  mounting  to  where  a  tower 
upon  a  tall  cliff  closed  the  view. 

"There,"  said  the  Baronet,  pointing  to  the  tower, 
207 


PRINCE  OTTO 

"you  see  the  Felsenburg,  your  goal.  I  wish  you  a  good 
journey,  and  regret  I  cannot  be  of  more  assistance.' 

He  mounted  to  his  place  and  gave  a  signal,  and  the 
carriage  rolled  away. 

Seraphina  stood  by  the  wayside,  gazing  before  her 
with  blind  eyes.  Sir  John  she  had  dismissed  already 
from  her  mind:  she  hated  him,  that  was  enough;  for 
whatever  Seraphina  hated  or  contemned  fell  instantly 
to  Lilliputian  smallness,  and  was  thenceforward  steadily 
ignored  in  thought.  And  now  she  had  matter  for  con- 
cern indeed.  Her  interview  with  Otto,  which  she  had 
never  yet  forgiven  him,  began  to  appear  before  her  in  a 
very  different  light.  He  had  come  to  her,  still  thrilling 
under  recent  insult,  and  not  yet  breathed  from  fighting 
her  own  cause;  and  how  that  knowledge  changed  the 
value  of  his  words!  Yes,  he  must  have  loved  her;  this 
was  a  brave  feeling  —  it  was  no  mere  weakness  of  the 
will.  And  she,  was  she  incapable  of  love  ?  It  would 
appear  so;  and  she  swallowed  her  tears,  and  yearned  to 
see  Otto,  to  explain  all,  to  ask  pity  upon  her  knees  for 
her  transgressions,  and,  if  all  else  were  now  beyond  the 
reach  of  reparation,  to  restore  at  least  the  liberty  of  which 
she  had  deprived  him. 

Swiftly  she  sped  along  the  highway,  and,  as  the  road 
wound  out  and  in  about  the  bluffs  and  gullies  of  the 
mountain,  saw  and  lost  by  glimpses  the  tall  tower  that 
stood  before  and  above  her,  purpled  by  the  mountain 
air. 


208 


CHAPTER  II 

TREATS   OF   A   CHRISTIAN   VIRTUE 

When  Otto  mounted  to  his  rolling  prison,  he  found 
another  occupant  in  a  corner  of  the  front  seat;  but  as 
this  person  hung  his  head  and  the  brightness  of  the  car- 
riage lamps  shone  outward,  the  Prince  could  only  see  it 
was  a  man.  The  Colonel  followed  his  prisoner  and 
clapped  to  the  door;  and  at  that  the  four  horses  broke 
immediately  into  a  swinging  trot. 

**  Gentlemen,"  said  the  Colonel,  after  some  little  while 
had  passed,  "  if  we  are  to  travel  in  silence,  we  might  as 
well  be  at  home.  I  appear,  of  course,  in  an  invidious 
character;  but  I  am  a  man  of  taste,  fond  of  books  and 
solidly  informing  talk,  and  unfortunately  condemned  for 
life  to  the  guardroom.  Gentlemen,  this  is  my  chance: 
don't  spoil  it  for  me.  I  have  here  the  pick  of  the  whole 
court,  barring  lovely  woman ;  I  have  a  great  author  in 
the  person  of  the  Doctor " 

*'Gotthold!"  cried  Otto. 

'Mt  appears,"  said  the  Doctor,  bitterly,  *'that  we 
must  go  together.  Your  Highness  had  not  calculated 
upon  that." 

''What  do  you  infer?"  cried  Otto;  "that  I  had  you 
arrested  ?  " 

''The  inference  is  simple,"  said  the  Doctor. 
209 


PRINCE  OTTO 

** Colonel  Gordon,"  said  the  Prince,  "oblige  me  so 
far,  and  set  me  right  with  Herr  von  Hohenstockwitz." 

*' Gentlemen,"  said  the  Colonel,  "you  are  both  ar- 
rested on  the  same  warrant  in  the  name  of  the  Princess 
Seraphina,  acting  regent,  countersigned  by  Prime  Min- 
ister Freiherr  von  Gondremark,  and  dated  the  day  be- 
fore yesterday,  the  twelfth.  I  reveal  to  you  the  secrets 
of  the  prison  house,"  he  added. 

"Otto,"  said  Gotthold,  "I  ask  you  to  pardon  my 
suspicions." 

"Gotthold,"  said  the  Prince,  "I  am  not  certain  I  can 
grant  you  that." 

"Your  Highness  is,  I  am  sure,  far  too  magnanimous 
to  hesitate,"  said  the  Colonel.  "But  allow  me:  we 
speak  at  home  in  my  religion  of  the  means  of  grace; 
and  I  now  propose  to  offer  them."  So  saying,  the  Colo- 
nel lighted  a  bright  lamp  which  he  attached  to  one  side 
of  the  carriage,  and  from  below  the  front  seat  produced 
a  goodly  basket  adorned  with  the  long  necks  of  bottles. 
''  Tu  spem  reducis  —  how  does  it  go.  Doctor  }  "  he  asked 
gaily.  "  I  am,  in  a  sense,  your  host;  and  I  am  sure  you 
are  both  far  too  considerate  of  my  embarrassing  posi- 
tion to  refuse  to  do  me  honour.  Gentlemen,  I  drink  to 
the  Prince!" 

"Colonel,"  said  Otto,  "we  have  a  jovial  entertainer. 
I  drink  to  Colonel  Gordon." 

Thereupon  all  three  took  their  wine  very  pleasantly; 
and  even  as  they  did  so,  the  carriage  with  a  lurch  turned 
into  the  high  road  and  began  to  make  better  speed. 

All  was  bright  within ;  the  wine  had  coloured  Gott- 
hold's  cheek;  dim  forms  of  forest  trees,  dwindling  and 
spiring,  scarves  of  the  starry  sky,  now  wide  and  now 


TREATS  OF  A  CHRISTIAN  VIRTUE 

narrow,  raced  past  the  windows ;  through  one  that  was 
left  open  the  air  of  the  woods  came  in  with  a  nocturnal 
raciness;  and  the  roll  of  wheels  and  the  tune  of  the 
trotting  horses  sounded  merrily  on  the  ear.  Toast  fol- 
lowed toast;  glass  after  glass  was  bowed  across  and 
emptied  by  the  trio ;  and  presently  there  began  to  fall 
upon  them  a  luxurious  spell,  under  the  influence  of 
which  little  but  the  sound  of  quiet  and  confidential 
laughter  interrupted  the  long  intervals  of  meditative 
silence. 

'*Otto,"  said  Gotthold,  after  one  of  these  seasons  of 
quiet,  *M  do  not  ask  you  to  forgive  me.  Were  the  parts 
reversed,  I  could  not  forgive  you." 

'*  Well,"  said  Otto,  "  it  is  a  phrase  we  use.  I  do  for- 
give you,  but  your  words  and  your  suspicions  rankle; 
and  not  yours  alone.  It  is  idle.  Colonel  Gordon,  in  view 
of  the  order  you  are  carrying  out,  to  conceal  from  you 
the  dissensions  of  my  family;  they  have  gone  so  far 
that  they  are  now  public  property.  Well,  gentlemen, 
can  I  forgive  my  wife  ?  I  can,  of  course,  and  do ;  but 
in  what  sense  ?  I  would  certainly  not  stoop  to  any  re- 
venge; as  certainly  I  could  not  think  of  her  but  as  one 
changed  beyond  my  recognition." 

"Allow  me,"  returned  the  Colonel.  "  You  will  per- 
mit me  to  hope  that  I  am  addressing  Christians  ?  We 
are  all  conscious,  I  trust,  that  we  are  miserable  sinners." 

"I  disown  the  consciousness,"  said  Gotthold. 
"Warmed  with  this  good  fluid,  I  deny  your  thesis." 

"How,  sir?  You  never  did  anything  wrong?  and 
I  heard  you  asking  pardon  but  this  moment,  not  of  your 
God,  sir,  but  of  a  common  fellow-worm ! "  the  Colonel 
cried. 

211 


PRINCE  OTTO 

*'I  own  you  have  me;  you  are  expert  in  argument, 
Herr  Oberst,"  said  the  Doctor. 

''Begad,  sir,  I  am  proud  to  hear  you  say  so,"  said 
the  Colonel.  "I  was  well  grounded  indeed  at  Aber- 
deen. And  as  for  this  matter  of  forgiveness,  it  comes, 
sir,  of  loose  views  and  (what  is  if  anything  more  dan- 
gerous) a  regular  life.  A  sound  creed  and  a  bad  moral- 
ity, that's  the  root  of  wisdom.  You  two  gentlemen 
are  too  good  to  be  forgiving." 

"The  paradox  is  somewhat  forced,"  said  Gotthold. 

''Pardon  me.  Colonel,"  said  the  Prince;  "I  readily 
acquit  you  of  any  design  of  offence,  but  your  words 
bite  like  satire.  Is  this  a  time,  do  you  think,  when  I 
can  wish  to  hear  myself  called  good,  now  that  I  am 
paying  the  penalty  (and  am  willing  like  yourself  to  think 
it  just)  of  my  prolonged  misconduct  ?  " 

"O,  pardon  me!"  cried  the  Colonel.  "You  have 
never  been  expelled  from  the  divinity  hall;  you  have 
never  been  broke.  I  was :  broke  for  a  neglect  of  mili- 
tary duty.  To  tell  you  the  open  truth,  your  Highness, 
I  was  the  worse  of  drink;  it's  a  thing  I  never  do  now," 
he  added,  taking  out  his  glass.  "  But  a  man,  you  see, 
who  has  really  tasted  the  defects  of  his  own  character, 
as  I  have,  and  has  come  to  regard  himself  as  a  kind  of 
blind  teetotum  knocking  about  life,  begins  to  learn  a 
very  different  view  about  forgiveness.  I  will  talk  of  not 
forgiving  others,  sir,  when  I  have  made  out  to  forgive  my- 
self, and  not  before ;  and  the  date  is  like  to  be  a  long  one. 
My  father,  the  Reverend  Alexander  Gordon,  was  a  good 
man,  and  damned  hard  upon  others.  I  am  what  they  call 
a  bad  one,  and  that  is  just  the  difference.  The  man  who 
cannot  forgive  any  mortal  thing  is  a  green  hand  in  life." 


TREATS  OF  A  CHRISTIAN   VIRTUE 

'*And  yet  I  have  heard  of  you,  Colonel,  as  a  duellist," 
said  Gotthold. 

"A  different  thing,  sir,"  replied  the  soldier.  "Pro- 
fessional etiquette.  And  I  trust  without  unchristian 
feeling." 

Presently  after  the  Colonel  fell  into  a  deep  sleep ;  and 
his  companions  looked  upon  each  other,  smiling. 

'*  An  odd  fish,"  said  Gotthold. 

'*And  a  strange  guardian,"  said  the  Prince.  **Yet 
what  he  said  was  true." 

"Rightly  looked  upon,"  mused  Gotthold,  "it  is  our- 
selves that  we  cannot  forgive,  when  we  refuse  forgive- 
ness to  our  friend.  Some  strand  of  our  own  misdoing 
is  involved  in  every  quarrel." 

"Are  there  not  offences  that  disgrace  the  pardoner  ?  " 
asked  Otto.     "  Are  there  not  bounds  of  self-respect  ?" 

"Otto,"  said  Gotthold,  "does  any  man  respect  him- 
self? To  this  poor  waif  of  a  soldier  of  fortune  we  may 
seem  respectable  gentlemen ;  but  to  ourselves,  what  are 
we  unless  a  pasteboard  portico  and  a  deliquium  of  deadly 
weaknesses  within  ?  " 

"I?  yes,"  said  Otto;  "but  you,  Gotthold  —  you, 
with  your  interminable  industry,  your  keen  mind,  your 
books — serving  mankind,  scorning  pleasures  and  temp- 
tations!    You  do  not  know  how  I  envy  you." 

"Otto,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  in  one  word,  and  a  bitter 
one  to  say:  I  am  a  secret  tippler.  Yes,  1  drink  too 
much.  The  habit  has  robbed  these  very  books,  to  which 
you  praise  my  devotion,  of  the  merits  that  they  should 
have  had.  It  has  spoiled  my  temper.  When  I  spoke 
to  you  the  other  day,  how  much  of  my  warmth  was  in 
the  cause  of  virtue  ?  how  much  was  the  fever  of  last 

a  13 


PRINCE  OTTO 

night's  wine  ?  Ay,  as  my  poor  fellow-sot  there  said, 
and  as  I  vaingloriously  denied,  we  are  all  miserable  sin- 
ners, put  here  for  a  moment,  knowing  the  good,  choos- 
ing the  evil,  standing  naked  and  ashamed  in  the  eye  of 
God." 

*Ms  it  so  ?"  said  Otto.  *'  Why,  then,  what  are  we.? 
Are  the  very  best " 

"There  is  no  best  in  man,"  said  Gotthold.  "I  am 
not  better,  it  is  likely  I  am  not  worse,  than  you  or  that 
poor  sleeper.  I  was  a  sham,  and  now  you  know  me: 
that  is  all." 

''And  yet  it  has  not  changed  my  love,"  returned 
Otto,  softly.  *'  Our  misdeeds  do  not  change  us.  Gott- 
hold, fill  your  glass.  Let  us  drink  to  what  is  good  in 
this  bad  business ;  let  us  drink  to  our  old  affection ;  and, 
when  we  have  done  so,  forgive  your  too  just  grounds 
of  offence,  and  drink  with  me  to  my  wife,  whom  I  have 
so  misused,  who  has  so  misused  me,  and  whom  I  have 
left,  I  fear,  I  greatly  fear,  in  danger.  What  matters  it 
how  bad  we  are,  if  others  can  still  love  us,  and  we  can 
still  love  others  ?  " 

'*Ay!"  replied  the  Doctor.  'Mt  is  very  well  said. 
It  is  the  true  answer  to  the  pessimist,  and  the  standing 
miracle  of  mankind.  So  you  still  love  me  ?  and  so  you 
can  forgive  your  wife  ?  Why,  then,  we  may  bid  con- 
science 'Down,  dog,'  like  an  ill-trained  puppy  yapping 
at  shadows." 

The  pair  fell  into  silence,  the  Doctor  tapping  on  his 
empty  glass. 

The  carriage  swung  forth  out  of  the  valleys  on  that 
open  balcony  of  high  road  that  runs  along  the  front  of 
Grunewald,  looking  down  on  Gerolstein.     Far  below, 

214 


TREATS  OF  A  CHRISTIAN  VIRTUE 

a  white  waterfall  was  shining  to  the  stars  from  the  fall- 
ing skirts  of  forest,  and  beyond  that,  the  night  stood 
naked  above  the  plain.  On  the  other  hand,  the  lamp- 
light skimmed  the  face  of  the  precipices,  and  the  dwarf 
pine-trees  twinkled  with  all  their  needles,  and  were 
gone  again  into  the  wake.  The  granite  roadway  thun- 
dered under  wheels  and  hoofs ;  and  at  times,  by  reason 
of  its  continual  winding,  Otto  could  see  the  escort  on 
the  other  side  of  a  ravine,  riding  well  together  in  the 
night.  Presently  the  Felsenburg  came  plainly  in  view, 
some  way  above  them,  on  a  bold  projection  of  the 
mountain,  and  planting  its  bulk  against  the  starry  sky. 

"See,  Gotthold,"  said  the  Prince,  "our destination." 

Gotthold  awoke  as  from  a  trance. 

"1  was  thinking,"  said  he,  "if  there  is  danger,  why 
did  you  not  resist  ?  I  was  told  you  came  of  your  free 
will;  but  should  you  not  be  there  to  help  her?" 

The  colour  faded  from  the  Prince's  cheeks. 


«if 


CHAPTER  III 

PROVIDENCE  VON  ROSEN :  ACT  THE  LAST :  IN  WHICH  SHE  GAL- 
LOPS  OFF 

When  the  busy  Countess  came  forth  from  her  inter- 
view with  Seraphina,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  she 
was  beginning  to  be  terribly  afraid.  She  paused  in  the 
corridor  and  reckoned  up  her  doings  with  an  eye  to 
Gondremark.  The  fan  was  in  requisition  in  an  instant; 
but  her  disquiet  was  beyond  the  reach  of  fanning.  ' '  The 
girl  has  lost  her  head,"  she  thought;  and  then  dismally, 
"  I  have  gone  too  far."  She  instantly  decided  on  seces- 
sion. Now  the  Mons  Sacer  of  the  Frau  von  Rosen  was 
a  certain  rustic  villa  in  the  forest,  called  by  herself,  in  a 
smart  attack  of  poesy,  Tannen-Zauber,  and  by  every- 
body else  plain  Kleinbrunn. 

Thither,  upon  the  thought,  she  furiously  drove,  pass- 
ing Gondremark  at  the  entrance  to  the  Palace  avenue,  but 
feigning  not  to  observe  him ;  and  as  Kleinbrunn  was  seven 
good  miles  away  and  in  the  bottom  of  a  narrow  dell,  she 
passed  the  night  without  any  rumour  of  the  outbreak 
reaching  her;  and  the  glow  of  the  conflagration  was 
concealed  by  intervening  hills.  Frau  von  Rosen  did  not 
sleep  well ;  she  was  seriously  uneasy  as  to  the  results  of 
her  delightful  evening,  and  saw  herself  condemned  to 
quite  a  lengthy  sojourn  in  her  deserts  and  a  long  defen- 

216 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN:  ACT  THE  LAST 

sive  correspondence,  ere  she  could  venture  to  return  to 
Gondremark.  On  the  other  hand,  she  examined,  by 
way  of  pastime,  the  deeds  she  had  received  from  Otto ; 
and  even  here  saw  cause  for  disappointment.  In  these 
troublous  days  she  had  no  taste  for  landed  property,  and 
she  was  convinced,  besides,  that  Otto  had  paid  dearer 
than  the  farm  was  worth.  Lastly,  the  order  for  the 
Prince's  release  fairly  burned  her  meddling  fingers. 

All  things  considered,  the  next  day  beheld  an  elegant 
and  beautiful  lady,  in  a  riding-habit  and  a  flapping  hat, 
draw  bridle  at  the  gate  of  the  Felsenburg,  not  perhaps 
with  any  clear  idea  of  her  purpose,  but  with  her  usual 
experimental  views  on  life.  Governor  Gordon,  sum- 
moned to  the  gate,  welcomed  the  omnipotent  Countess 
with  his  most  gallant  bearing,  though  it  was  wonderful 
how  old  he  looked  in  the  morning. 

"Ah,  Governor,"  she  said,  "we  have  surprises  for 
you,  sir,"  and  nodded  at  him  meaningly. 

"Eh,  madam,  leave  me  my  prisoners,"  he  said; 
"  and  if  you  will  but  join  the  band,  begad,  Til  be  happy 
for  life." 

"You  would  spoil  me,  would  you  not?"  she  asked. 

"I  would  try,  I  would  try,"  returned  the  Governor, 
and  he  offered  her  his  arm. 

She  took  it,  picked  up  her  skirt,  and  drew  him  close 
to  her.  "I  have  come  to  see  the  Prince,"  she  said. 
"Now,  infidel!  on  business.  A  message  from  that 
stupid  Gondremark,  who  keeps  me  running  like  a  cou- 
rier. Do  I  look  like  one,  Herr  Gordon.^"  And  she 
planted  her  eyes  on  him. 

"  You  look  like  an  angel,  ma'am,"  returned  the  Gov- 
ernor, with  a  great  air  of  finished  gallantry. 

217 


PRINCE  OTTO 

The  Countess  laughed.  *' An  angel  on  horseback!  " 
she  said.     "  Quick  work." 

''You  came,  you  saw,  you  conquered,"  flourished 
Gordon,  in  high  good  humour  with  his  own  wit  and 
grace.  ''We  toasted  you,  madam,  in  the  carriage,  in 
an  excellent  good  glass  of  wine;  toasted  you  fathom 
deep ;  the  finest  woman,  with,  begad,  the  finest  eyes  in 
Grunewald.  I  never  saw  the  like  of  them  but  once,  in 
my  own  country,  when  I  was  a  young  fool  at  College : 
Thomasina  Haig,  her  name  was.  I  give  you  my  word 
of  honour,  she  was  as  like  you  as  two  peas." 

"And  so  you  were  merry  in  the  carriage  ?  "  asked  the 
Countess,  gracefully  dissembling  a  yawn. 

"  We  were;  we  had  a  very  pleasant  conversation;  but 
we  took  perhaps  a  glass  more  than  that  fine  fellow  of  a 
Prince  has  been  accustomed  to,"  said  the  Governor; 
"and  I  observe  this  morning  that  he  seems  a  little  off 
his  mettle.  We'll  get  him  mellow  again  ere  bedtime. 
This  is  his  door." 

"Well,"  she  whispered,  "let  me  get  my  breath. 
No,  no;  wait.  Have  the  door  ready  to  open."  And 
the  Countess,  standing  like  one  inspired,  shook  out  her 
fine  voice  in  "Lascia  ch'  io  pianga;"  and  when  she 
had  reached  the  proper  point,  and  lyrically  uttered  forth 
her  sighings  after  liberty,  the  door,  at  a  sign,  was  flung 
wide  open,  and  she  swam  into  the  Prince's  sight,  bright- 
eyed,  and  with  her  colour  somewhat  freshened  by  the 
exercise  of  singing.  It  was  a  great  dramatic  entrance, 
and  to  the  somewhat  doleful  prisoner  within  the  sight 
was  sunshine. 

"Ah,  madam,"  he  cried,  running  to  her  —  "you 
here!" 

3l8 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN:   ACT  THE  LAST 

She  looked  meaningly  at  Gordon ;  and  as  soon  as  the 
door  was  closed  she  fell  on  Otto's  neck.  "  To  see  you 
here!  "  she  moaned  and  clung  to  him. 

But  the  Prince  stood  somewhat  stiffly  in  that  envia- 
ble situation,  and  the  Countess  instantly  recovered  from 
her  outburst. 

''Poor  child,"  she  said,  ''poor  child!  Sit  down  be- 
side me  here,  and  tell  me  all  about  it.  My  heart  really 
bleeds  to  see  you.     How  does  time  go  ?  " 

"Madam,"  replied  the  Prince,  sitting  down  beside 
her,  his  gallantry  recovered,  "the  time  will  now  go  all 
too  quickly  till  you  leave.  But  I  must  ask  you  for  the 
news.  I  have  most  bitterly  condemned  myself  for  my 
inertia  of  last  night.  You  wisely  counselled  me ;  it  was 
my  duty  to  resist.  You  wisely  and  nobly  counselled 
me;  I  have  since  thought  of  it  with  wonder.  You  have 
a  noble  heart." 

"Otto,"  she  said,  "spare  me.  Was  it  even  right,  I 
wonder  ?  I  have  duties,  too,  you  poor  child ;  and  when 
I  see  you  they  all  melt  —  all  my  good  resolutions  fly 
away." 

"  And  mine  still  come  too  late,"  he  replied,  sighing. 
"Oh,  what  would  I  not  give  to  have  resisted  ?  What 
would  I  not  give  for  freedom  ?  " 

"  Well,  what  would  you  give  ?  "  she  asked;  and  the 
red  fan  was  spread ;  only  her  eyes,  as  if  from  over  bat- 
tlements, brightly  surveyed  him. 

"  I  ?  What  do  you  mean  ?  Madam,  you  have  some 
news  for  me,"  he  cried. 

"O,  O!"  said  madam,  dubiously. 

He  was  at  her  feet.  "  Do  not  trifle  with  my  hopes," 
he  pleaded.     "Tell  me,  dearest  Madame  von  Rosen, 

219 


PRINCE  OTTO 

tell  me!  You  cannot  be  cruel:  it  is  not  in  your  nature. 
Give?  I  can  give  nothing;  I  have  nothing;  I  can  only 
plead  in  mercy." 

"  Do  not,"  she  said;  *'  it  is  not  fair.  Otto,  you  know 
my  weakness.     Spare  me.     Be  generous." 

"  O,  madam,"  he  said,  "  it  is  for  you  to  be  generous, 
to  have  pity."  He  took  her  hand  and  pressed  it;  he 
plied  her  with  caresses  and  appeals.  The  Countess  had 
a  most  enjoyable  sham  siege,  and  then  relented.  She 
sprang  to  her  feet,  she  tore  her  dress  open,  and,  all 
warm  from  her  bosom,  threw  the  order  on  the  floor. 

"  There! "  she  cried.  '*  I  forced  it  from  her.  Use  it, 
and  I  am  ruined ! "  And  she  turned  away  as  if  to  veil 
the  force  of  her  emotions. 

Otto  sprang  upon  the  paper,  read  it,  and  cried  out 
aloud.  **0,  God  bless  her!  "he  said,  "God  bless  her." 
And  he  kissed  the  writing. 

Von  Rosen  was  a  singularly  good-natured  woman, 
but  her  part  was  now  beyond  her.  "Ingrate!"  she 
cried;  ''  I  wrung  it  from  her,  I  betrayed  my  trust  to  get 
it,  and  'tis  she  you  thank! " 

*  *  Can  you  blame  me  ?  "  said  the  Prince.    ' '  I  love  her. " 

"I  see  that,"  she  said.     ''Andl.^" 

"You,  Madame  von  Rosen?  You  are  my  dearest, 
my  kindest,  and  most  generous  of  friends,"  he  said, 
approaching  her.  "  You  would  be  a  perfect  friend,  if 
you  were  not  so  lovely.  You  have  a  great  sense  of 
humour,  you  cannot  be  unconsciousof  your  charm,  and 
you  amuse  yourself  at  times  by  playing  on  my  weak- 
ness ;  and  at  times  I  can  take  pleasure  in  the  comedy. 
But  not  to-day :  to-day  you  will  be  the  true,  the  serious, 
the  manly  friend,  and  you  will  suffer  me  to  forget  that 

220 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN:  ACT  THE  LAST 

you  are  lovely  and  that  I  am  weak.  Come,  dear  Count-i 
ess,  let  me  to-day  repose  in  you  entirely." 

He  held  out  his  hand,  smiling,  and  she  took  it  frankly. 

*M  vow  you  have  bewitched  me,"  she  said;  and  then 
with  a  laugh,  *'  I  break  my  staff !  "  she  added;  *'  and  I 
must  pay  you  my  best  compliment.  You  made  a  dif- 
ficult speech.  You  are  as  adroit,  dear  Prince,  as  I  am 
—  charming."  And  as  she  said  the  word  with  a  great 
courtesy,  she  justified  it. 

'*You  hardly  keep  the  bargain,  madam,  when  you 
make  yourself  so  beautiful,"  said  the  Prince,  bowing. 

"It  was  my  last  arrow,"  she  returned.  *'  I  am  dis- 
armed. Blank  cartridge,  O  mon  Prince !  And  now  I 
tell  you,  if  you  choose  to  leave  this  prison,  you  can,  and 
I  am  ruined.     Choose ! " 

"Madame  von  Rosen,"  replied  Otto,  "I  choose,  and 
I  will  go.  My  duty  points  me,  duty  still  neglected  by 
this  Featherhead.  But  do  not  fear  to  be  a  loser.  I  pro- 
pose instead  that  you  should  take  me  with  you,  a  bear 
in  chains,  to  Baron  Gondremark.  I  am  become  per- 
fectly unscrupulous :  to  save  my  wife  I  will  do  all,  all 
he  can  ask  or  fancy.  He  shall  be  filled ;  were  he  huge  as 
leviathan  and  greedy  as  the  grave,  I  will  content  him.  And 
you,  the  fairy  of  our  pantomime,  shall  have  the  credit." 

"Done!  "  she  cried.  "Admirable!  Prince  Charming 
no  longer  —  Prince  Sorcerer,  Prince  Solon !  Let  us  go 
this  moment.  Stay,"  she  cried,  pausing.  "I  beg, 
dear  Prince,  to  give  you  back  these  deeds.  Twas  you 
who  liked  the  farm  —  I  have  not  seen  it;  and  it  was  you 
who  wished  to  benefit  the  peasants.  And,  besides," 
she  added,  with  a  comical  change  of  tone,  "I  should 
prefer  the  ready  money." 


PRINCE  OTTO 

Both  laughed.  "Here  I  am,  once  more  a  farmer," 
said  Otto,  accepting  the  papers,  '*  but  overwhelmed  in 
debt." 

The  Countess  touched  a  bell,  and  the  Governor  ap- 
peared. 

''Governor,"  she  said,  "I  am  going  to  elope  with 
his  Highness.  The  result  of  our  talk  has  been  a  thor- 
ough understanding,  and  the  coup  d'etat  is  over.  Here 
is  the  order." 

Colonel  Gordon  adjusted  silver  spectacles  upon  his 
nose.  ' '  Yes, "  he  said,  ' '  the  Princess :  very  right.  But 
the  warrant,  madam,  was  countersigned." 

'*  By  Heinrich!"  said  von  Rosen.  *' Well,  and  here 
am  I  to  represent  him." 

"Well,  your  Highness,"  resumed  the  soldier  of  for- 
tune, "I  must  congratulate  you  upon  my  loss.  You 
have  been  cut  out  by  beauty,  and  I  am  left  lamenting. 
The  Doctor  still  remains  to  me :  probus,  doctm,  lepidus, 
jucundm :  a  man  of  books." 

"Ay,  there  is  nothing  about  poor  Gotthold,"  said 
the  Prince. 

"  The  Governor's  consolation  ?  Would  you  leave  him 
bare  ?  "  asked  von  Rosen. 

"And,  your  Highness,"  resumed  Gordon,  "may  I 
trust  that  in  the  course  of  this  temporary  obscuration, 
you  have  found  me  discharge  my  part  with  suitable  re- 
spect and,  I  may  add,  tact  ?  I  adopted  purposely  a  cheer- 
fulness of  manner;  mirth,  it  appeared  to  me,  and  a  good 
glass  of  wine,  were  the  fit  alleviations." 

"Colonel,"  said  Otto,  holding  out  his  hand,  "your 
society  was  of  itself  enough.  I  do  not  merely  thank 
you  for  your  pleasant  spirits ;  I  have  to  thank  you,  be- 

323 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN:   ACT  THE  LAST 

sides,  for  some  philosophy,  of  which  I  stood  in  need. 
I  trust  I  do  not  see  you  for  the  last  time;  and  in  the 
meanwhile,  as  a  memento  of  our  strange  acquaintance, 
let  me  offer  you  these  verses  on  which  I  was  but  now 
engaged.  I  am  so  little  of  a  poet,  and  was  so  ill  inspired 
by  prison  bars,  that  they  have  some  claim  to  be  at  least 
a  curiosity." 

The  Colonel's  countenance  lighted  as  he  took  the 
paper;  the  silver  spectacles  were  hurriedly  replaced. 
*'Ha!"  he  said,  "Alexandrines,  the  tragic  metre.  I 
shall  cherish  this,  your  Highness,  like  a  relic ;  no  more 
suitable  offering,  although  I  say  it,  could  be  made. 
*Dieux  de  I'immense  plaine  et  des  vastes  forets.*  Very 
good,"  he  said,  ''very  good  indeed!  *Et  du  geolier 
lui-meme  apprendre  des  lemons.'  Most  handsome,  be- 
gad!" 

"Come,  Governor,"  cried  the  Countess,  "you  can 
read  his  poetry  when  we  are  gone.  Open  your  grudg- 
ing portals." 

" I  ask  your  pardon,"  said  the  Colonel.  "To  a  man 
of  my  character  and  tastes,  these  verses,  this  handsome 
reference  —  most  moving,  I  assure  you.  Can  I  offer  you 
an  escort  ?  " 

"No,  no,"  replied  the  Countess.  "  We  go  incogniti, 
as  we  arrived.  We  ride  together;  the  Prince  will  take 
my  servant's  horse.  Hurry  and  privacy,  Herr  Oberst, 
that  is  all  we  seek."  And  she  began  impatiently  to  lead 
the  way. 

But  Otto  had  still  to  bid  farewell  to  Dr.  Gotthold; 
and  the  Governor  following,  with  his  spectacles  in  one 
hand  and  the  paper  in  the  other,  had  still  to  communi- 
cate his  treasured  verses,  piece  by  piece,  as  he  succeeded 

223 


PRINCE  OTTO 

in  deciphering  the  manuscript,  to  all  he  came  across; 
and  still  his  enthusiasm  mounted.  "  I  declare,"  he  cried 
at  last,  with  the  air  of  one  who  has  at  length  divined  a 
mystery,  *'  they  remind  me  of  Robbie  Burns! " 

But  there  is  an  end  to  all  things ;  and  at  length  Otto 
was  walking  by  the  side  of  Madame  von  Rosen,  along 
that  mountain  wall,  her  servant  following  with  both 
the  horses,  and  all  about  them  sunlight,  and  breeze,  and 
flying  bird,  and  the  vast  regions  of  the  air,  and  the  capa- 
cious prospect:  wild  wood  and  climbing  pinnacle,  and  the 
sound  and  voice  of  mountain  torrents,  at  their  hand :  and 
far  below  them,  green  melting  into  sapphire  on  the  plains. 

They  walked  at  first  in  silence;  for  Otto's  mind  was 
full  of  the  delight  of  liberty  and  nature,  and  still,  be- 
tweenwhiles,  he  was  preparing  his  interview  with  Gon- 
dremark.  But  when  the  first  rough  promontory  of  the 
rock  was  turned,  and  the  Felsenburg  concealed  behind 
its  bulk,  the  lady  paused. 

**Here,"  she  said,  *'I  will  dismount  poor  Karl,  and 
you  and  I  must  ply  our  spurs.  I  love  a  wild  ride  with 
a  good  companion." 

As  she  spoke,  a  carriage  came  into  sight  round  the 
corner  next  below  them  in  the  order  of  the  road.  It  came 
heavily  creaking,  and  a  little  ahead  of  it  a  traveller  was 
soberly  walking,  note-book  in  hand. 

''It  is  Sir  John,"  cried  Otto,  and  he  hailed  him. 

The  Baronet  pocketed  his  note-book,  stared  through 
an  eye-glass,  and  then  waved  his  stick;  and  he  on  his 
side,  and  the  Countess  and  the  Prince  on  theirs,  ad- 
vanced with  somewhat  quicker  steps.  They  met  at  the 
reentrant  angle,  where  a  thin  stream  strayed  across  a 
boulder  and  was  scattered  in  rain  among  the  brush ;  and 

224 


PROVIDENCE  VON   ROSEN;   ACT  THE  LAST 

the  Baronet  saluted  the  Prince  with  much  punctilio. 
To  the  Countess,  on  the  other  hand,  he  bowed  with 
a  kind  of  sneering  wonder. 

**  Is  it  possible,  madam,  that  you  have  not  heard  the 
news  ?  "  he  asked. 

"What  news  ? "  she  cried. 

'*News  of  the  first  order,"  returned  Sir  John:  "a 
revolution  in  the  State,  a  Republic  declared,  the  palace 
burned  to  the  ground,  the  Princess  in  flight,  Gondre- 
mark  wounded " 

"  Heinrich  wounded  ?  "  she  screamed. 

'*  Wounded  and  suffering  acutely,"  said  Sir  John. 
''His  groans " 

There  fell  from  the  lady's  lips  an  oath  so  potent  that, 
in  smoother  hours,  it  would  have  made  her  hearers 
jump.  She  ran  to  her  horse,  scrambled  to  the  saddle, 
and,  yet  half  seated,  dashed  down  the  road  at  full  gallop. 
The  groom,  after  a  pause  of  wonder,  followed  her. 
The  rush  of  her  impetuous  passage  almost  scared  the 
carriage  horses  over  the  verge  of  the  steep  hill;  and  still 
she  clattered  further,  and  the  crags  echoed  to  her  flight, 
and  still  the  groom  flogged  vainly  in  pursuit  of  her.  At 
the  fourth  corner,  a  woman  trailing  slowly  up  leaped 
back  with  a  cry  and  escaped  death  by  a  hand's-breadth. 
But  the  Countess  wasted  neither  glance  nor  thought 
upon  the  incident.  Out  and  in,  about  the  bluffs  of  the 
mountain  wall,  she  fled,  loose-reined,  and  still  the  groom 
toiled  in  her  pursuit. 

"A  most  impulsive  lady!"  said  Sir  John.  ''Who 
would  have  thought  she  cared  for  him  ?  "  And  before 
the  words  were  uttered,  he  was  struggling  in  the  Prince's 

grasp. 

225 


PRINCE  OTTO 

'*  My  wife !  the  Princess  ?    What  of  her  ?  " 

''She  is  down  the  road,"  he  gasped.     *'I  left  her 

twenty  minutes  back." 
And  next  moment,  the  choked  author  stood  alone, 

and  the  Prince  on  foot  was  racing  down  the  hill  behind 

the  Countess. 


22Q 


CHAPTER  IV 

BABES  IN   THE   WOOD 

While  the  feet  of  the  Prince  continued  to  run  swiftly, 
his  heart,  which  had  at  first  by  far  outstripped  his  run- 
ning, soon  began  to  linger  and  hang  back.  Not  that  he 
ceased  to  pity  the  misfortune  or  to  yearn  for  the  sight 
of  Seraphina;  but  the  memory  of  her  obdurate  coldness 
awoke  within  him,  and  woke  in  turn  his  own  habitual 
diffidence  of  self.  Had  Sir  John  been  given  time  to  tell 
him  all,  had  he  even  known  that  she  was  speeding  to 
the  Felsenburg,  he  would  have  gone  to  her  with  ardour. 
As  it  was,  he  began  to  see  himself  once  more  intruding, 
profiting,  perhaps,  by  her  misfortune,  and  now  that  she 
was  fallen,  proffering  unloved  caresses  to  the  wife  who 
had  spurned  him  in  prosperity.  The  sore  spots  upon 
his  vanity  began  to  burn ;  once  more,  his  anger  assumed 
the  carriage  of  a  hostile  generosity ;  he  would  utterly 
forgive  indeed;  he  would  help,  save,  and  comfort  his 
unloving  wife;  but  all  with  distant  self-denial,  impos- 
ing silence  on  his  heart,  respecting  Seraphina's  disaffec- 
tion as  he  would  the  innocence  of  a  child.  So,  when 
at  length  he  turned  a  corner  and  beheld  the  Princess,  it 
was  his  first  thought  to  reassure  her  of  the  purity  of  his 
respect,  and  he  at  once  ceased  running  and  stood  still. 
She,  upon  her  part,  began  to  run  to  him  with  a  little 

227 


PRINCE  OTTO 

cry;  then,  seeing  him  pause,  she  paused  also,  smitten 
with  remorse ;  and  at  length,  with  the  most  guilty  timid- 
ity, walked  nearly  up  to  where  he  stood. 

"  Otto,"  she  said,  "  I  have  ruined  all! " 

'*  Seraphina! "  he  cried  with  a  sob,  but  did  not  move, 
partly  withheld  by  his  resolutions,  partly  struck  stupid 
at  the  sight  of  her  weariness  and  disorder.  Had  she 
stood  silent,  they  had  soon  been  locked  in  an  embrace. 
But  she  too  had  prepared  herself  against  the  interview, 
and  must  spoil  the  golden  hour  with  protestations. 

"All!"  she  went  on,  "I  have  ruined  all!  But,  Otto, 
in  kindness  you  must  hear  me  —  not  justify,  but  own, 
my  faults.  I  have  been  taught  so  cruelly ;  I  have  had 
such  time  for  thought,  and  see  the  world  so  changed. 
I  have  been  blind,  stone  blind ;  I  have  let  all  true  good 
go  by  me,  and  lived  on  shadows.  But  when  this 
dream  fell,  and  I  had  betrayed  you,  and  thought  I  had 

killed "     She  paused.     "I  thought  I  had   killed 

Gondremark,"  she  said  with  a  deep  flush,  *'and  I  found 
myself  alone  as  you  said." 

The  mention  of  the  name  of  Gondremark  pricked  the 
Prince's  generosity  like  a  spur.  '  *  Well, "  he  cried,  ' '  and 
whose  fault  was  it  but  mine?  It  was  my  duty  to  be 
beside  you,  loved  or  not.  But  I  was  a  skulker  in  the 
grain,  and  found  it  easier  to  desert  than  to  oppose  you. 
I  could  never  learn  that  better  part  of  love,  to  fight 
love's  battles.  But  yet  the  love  was  there.  And  now 
when  this  toy  kingdom  of  ours  has  fallen,  first  of  all 
by  my  demerits,  and  next  by  your  inexperience,  and  we 
are  here  alone  together,  as  poor  as  Job  and  merely  a  man 
and  a  woman  —  let  me  conjure  you  to  forgive  the  weak- 
ness and  to  repose  in  the  love.     Do  not  mistake  me! " 

228 


BABES  IN   THE  WOOD 

he  cried,  seeing  her  about  to  speak,  and  imposing  si- 
lence with  uplifted  hand.  **My  love  is  changed;  it  is 
purged  of  any  conjugal  pretension ;  it  does  not  ask,  does 
not  hope,  does  not  wish,  for  a  return  in  kind.  You 
may  forget  for  ever  that  part  in  which  you  found  me  so 
distasteful,  and  accept  without  embarrassment  the  affec- 
tion of  a  brother." 

"You  are  too  generous,  Otto,"  she  said.  ''  I  know 
that  I  have  forfeited  your  love.  I  cannot  take  this  sac- 
rifice. You  had  far  better  leave  me.  O  go  away,  and 
leave  me  to  my  fate !  " 

"O  no! "  said  Otto;  **  we  must  first  of  all  escape  out 
of  this  hornet's  nest,  to  which  I  led  you.  My  honour  is 
engaged.  I  said  but  now  we  were  as  poor  as  Job;  and 
heboid!  not  many  miles  from  here  I  have  a  house  of 
my  own  to  which  I  will  conduct  you.  Otto  the  Prince 
being  down,  we  must  try  what  luck  remains  to  Otto 
the  Hunter.  Come,  Seraphina;  show  that  you  forgive 
me,  and  let  us  set  about  this  business  of  escape  in  the 
best  spirits  possible.  You  used  to  say,  my  dear,  that, 
except  as  a  husband  and  a  prince,  I  was  a  pleasant  fel- 
low. I  am  neither  now,  and  you  may  like  my  com- 
pany without  remorse.  Come,  then ;  it  were  idle  to  be 
captured.  Can  you  still  walk?  Forth,  then,"  said  he, 
and  he  began  to  lead  the  way. 

A  little  below  where  they  stood,  a  good-sized  brook 
passed  below  the  road,  which  overleapt  it  in  a  single 
arch.  On  one  bank  of  that  loquacious  water  a  footpath 
descended  a  green  dell.  Here  it  was  rocky  and  stony, 
and  lay  on  the  steep  scarps  of  the  ravine ;  here  it  was 
choked  with  brambles ;  and  there,  in  fairy  haughs,  it  lay 
for  a  few  paces  evenly  on  the  green  turf.     Like  a  sponge, 

229 


PRINCE  OTTO 

the  hillside  oozed  with  well-water.  The  burn  kept 
growing  both  in  force  and  volume;  at  every  leap  it  fell 
with  heavier  plunges  and  span  more  widely  in  the  pool. 
Great  had  been  the  labours  of  that  stream,  and  great 
and  agreeable  the  changes  it  had  wrought.  It  had  cut 
through  dykes  of  stubborn  rock,  and  now,  like  a  blow- 
ing dolphin,  spouted  through  the  orifice;  along  all  its 
humble  coasts,  it  had  undermined  and  rafted-down  the 
goodlier  timber  of  the  forest;  and  on  these  rough  clear- 
ings it  now  set  and  tended  primrose  gardens,  and  planted 
woods  of  willow,  and  made  a  favourite  of  the  silver 
birch.  Through  all  these  friendly  features  the  path,  its 
human  acolyte,  conducted  our  two  wanderers  down- 
ward,—  Otto  before,  still  pausing  at  the  more  difficult 
passages  to  lend  assistance;  the  Princess  following. 
From  time  to  time,  when  he  turned  to  help  her,  her  face 
would  lighten  upon  his — her  eyes,  half  desperately,  woo 
him.  He  saw,  but  dared  not  understand.  "  She  does 
not  love  me, "  he  told  himself,  with  magnanimity.  ' '  This 
is  remorse  or  gratitude ;  I  were  no  gentleman,  no,  nor  yet 
a  man,  if  I  presumed  upon  these  pitiful  concessions." 

Some  way  down  the  glen,  the  stream,  already  grown 
to  a  good  bulk  of  water,  was  rudely  dammed  across,  and 
about  a  third  of  it  abducted  in  a  wooden  trough.  Gaily 
the  pure  water,  air's  first  cousin,  fleeted  along  the  rude 
aqueduct,  whose  sides  and  floor  it  had  made  green  with 
grasses.  The  path,  bearing  it  close  company,  threaded 
a  wilderness  of  briar  and  wild  rose.  And  presently,  a 
little  in  front,  the  brown  top  of  a  mill  and  the  tall  mill- 
wheel,  spraying  diamonds,  arose  in  the  narrows  of  the 
glen ;  at  the  same  time  the  snoring  music  of  the  saws 
broke  the  silence. 

250 


BABES   IN   THE  WOOD 

The  miller,  hearing  steps,  came  forth  to  his  door,  and 
both  he  and  Otto  started. 

*' Good-morning,  miller,"  said  the  Prince.  ''You 
were  right,  it  seems,  and  I  was  wrong.  I  give  you  the 
news,  and  bid  you  to  Mittwalden.  My  throne  has 
fallen  —  great  was  the  fall  of  it !  —  and  your  good  friends 
of  the  Phoenix  bear  the  rule." 

The  red-faced  miller  looked  supreme  astonishment. 
*'  And  your  Highness  ?"  he  gasped. 

"My  Highness  is  running  away,"  replied  Otto, 
''straight  for  the  frontier." 

"Leaving  Grunewald?"  cried  the  man.  "Your  fa- 
ther's son  ?    It's  not  to  be  permitted !  " 

"Do  you  arrest  us,  friend  ?"  asked  Otto,  smiling. 

"  Arrest  you  ?  I  ?  "  exclaimed  the  man.  "  For  what 
does  your  Highness  take  me  ?  Why,  sir,  I  make  sure 
there  is  not  a  man  in  GrQnewald  would  lay  hands  upon 
you." 

"  O,  many,  many,"  said  the  Prince;  "but  from  you, 
who  were  bold  with  me  in  my  greatness,  I  should  even 
look  for  aid  in  my  distress." 

The  miller  became  the  colour  of  beetroot.  "You 
may  say  so  indeed,"  said  he.  "And  meanwhile,  will 
you  and  your  lady  step  into  my  house." 

"We  have  not  time  for  that,"  replied  the  Prince; 
"but  if  you  would  oblige  us  with  a  cup  of  wine  with- 
out here,  you  will  give  a  pleasure  and  a  service,  both  in 
one." 

The  miller  once  more  coloured  to  the  nape.  He  has- 
tened to  bring  forth  wine  in  a  pitcher  and  three  bright 
crystal  tumblers.  ' '  Your  Highness  must  not  suppose, " 
he  said,  as  he  filled  them,  "that  I  am  an  habitual  drinker. 

231 


PRINCE  OTTO 

The  time  when  I  had  the  misfortune  to  encounter  you, 
I  was  a  trifle  overtaken,  I  allow;  but  a  more  sober  man 
than  I  am  in  my  ordinary,  I  do  not  know  where  you 
are  to  look  for;  and  even  this  glass  that  I  drink  to  you 
(and  to  the  lady)  is  quite  an  unusual  recreation." 

The  wine  was  drunk  with  due  rustic  courtesies;  and 
then,  refusing  further  hospitality.  Otto  and  Seraphina 
once  more  proceeded  to  descend  the  glen,  which  now 
began  to  open  and  to  be  invaded  by  the  taller  trees. 

"I  owed  that  man  a  reparation,"  said  the  Prince; 
''for  when  we  met  I  was  in  the  wrong  and  put  a  sore 
affront  upon  him.  I  judge  by  myself,  perhaps;  but  I 
begin  to  think  that  no  one  is  the  better  for  a  humilia- 
tion." 

*'  But  some  have  to  be  taught  so,"  she  replied. 

*' Well,  well,"  he  said,  with  a  painful  embarrassment. 
''Well,  well.  But  let  us  think  of  safety.  My  miller  is 
all  very  good,  but  I  do  not  pin  my  faith  to  him.  To 
follow  down  this  stream  will  bring  us,  but  after  innu- 
merable windings,  to  my  house.  Here,  up  this  glade, 
there  lies  a  cross-cut  —  the  world's  end  for  solitude  — 
the  very  deer  scarce  visit  it.  Are  you  too  tired,  or  could 
you  pass  that  way  ?" 

"Choose  the  path.  Otto.  I  will  follow  you,"  she 
said. 

"No,"  he  replied,  with  a  singular  imbecility  of  man- 
ner and  appearance,  "but  I  meant  the  path  was  rough. 
It  lies,  all  the  way,  by  glade  and  dingle,  and  the  dingles 
are  both  deep  and  thorny." 

"Lead  on,"  she  said.   "Are  you  not  Otto  the  Hunter?" 

They  had  now  burst  across  a  veil  of  underwood,  and 
were  come  into  a  lawn  among  the  forest,  very  green 

232 


BABES   IN   THE  WOOD 

and  innocent,  and  solemnly  surrounded  by  trees.  Otto 
paused  on  the  margin,  looking  about  him  with  delight; 
then  his  glance  returned  to  Seraphina,  as  she  stood 
framed  in  that  sylvan  pleasantness  and  looking  at  her 
husband  with  undecipherable  eyes.  A  weakness  both 
of  the  body  and  mind  fell  on  him  like  the  beginnings 
of  sleep;  the  cords  of  his  activity  were  relaxed,  his 
eyes  clung  to  her.  ' '  Let  us  rest, "  he  said ;  and  he  made 
her  sit  down,  and  himself  sat  down  beside  her  on  the 
slope  of  an  inconsiderable  mound. 

She  sat  with  her  eyes  downcast,  her  slim  hand  dab- 
bling in  grass,  like  a  maid  waiting  for  love's  summons. 
The  sound  of  the  wind  in  the  forest  swelled  and  sank, 
and  drew  near  them  with  a  running  rush,  and  died 
away  and  away  in  the  distance  into  fainting  whispers. 
Nearer  hand,  a  bird  out  of  the  deep  covert  uttered 
broken  and  anxious  notes.  All  this  seemed  but  a  halt- 
ing prelude  to  speech.  To  Otto  it  seemed  as  if  the 
whole  frame  of  nature  were  waiting  for  his  words ;  and 
yet  his  pride  kept  him  silent.  The  longer  he  watched 
that  slender  and  pale  hand  plucking  at  the  grasses,  the 
harder  and  rougher  grew  the  fight  between  pride  and 
its  kindly  adversary. 

''Seraphina,"  he  said  at  last,  "it  is  right  you  should 
know  one  thing:  I  never  ..."  He  was  about  to 
say  "doubted  you,"  but  was  that  true ?  And,  if  true, 
was  it  generous  to  speak  of  it  ?    Silence  succeeded. 

"I  pray  you,  tell  it  me,"  she  said;  "tell  it  me,  in 
pity." 

"I  mean  only  this,"  he  resumed,  "that  I  understand 
all,  and  do  not  blame  you.  1  understand  how  the  brave 
woman  must  look  down  on  the  weak  man.     I  think 

233 


PRINCE  OTTO 

you  were  wrong  in  some  things;  but  I  have  tried  to 
understand  it,  and  I  do.  I  do  not  need  to  forget  or  to 
forgive,  Seraphina,  for  I  have  understood." 

''I  know  what  I  have  done,"  she  said.  *'  I  am  not 
so  weak  that  I  can  be  deceived  with  kind  speeches.  I 
know  what  I  have  been  —  I  see  myself.  I  am  not  worth 
your  anger,  how  much  less  to  be  forgiven !  In  all  this 
downfall  and  misery,  I  see  only  me  and  you :  you,  as 
you  have  been  always ;  me,  as  I  was  —  me,  above  all ! 
O  yes,  I  see  myself:  and  what  can  I  think  ?" 

"Ah,  then,  let  us  reverse  the  parts !  "  said  Otto.  "  It 
is  ourselves  we  cannot  forgive,  when  we  deny  forgive- 
ness to  another  —  so  a  friend  told  me  last  night.  On 
these  terms,  Seraphina,  you  see  how  generously  I  have 
forgiven  myself  But  am  not  /  to  be  forgiven  ?  Come, 
then,  forgive  yourself — and  me." 

She  did  not  answer  in  words,  but  reached  out  her 
hand  to  him  quickly.  He  took  it;  and  as  the  smooth 
fingers  settled  and  nestled  in  his,  love  ran  to  and  fro 
between  them  in  tender  and  transforming  currents. 

"Seraphina,"  he  cried,  " O,  forget  the  past!  Let  me 
serve  and  help  you ;  let  me  be  your  servant;  it  is  enough 
for  me  to  serve  you  and  to  be  near  you;  let  me  be  near 
you,  dear  —  do  not  send  me  away."  He  hurried  his 
pleading  like  the  speech  of  a  frightened  child.  "It  is 
not  love, "  he  went  on ;  "I  do  not  ask  for  love ;  my  love 
is  enough   ..." 

"Otto!"  she  said,  as  if  in  pain. 

He  looked  up  into  her  face.  It  was  wrung  with  the 
very  ecstasy  of  tenderness  and  anguish ;  on  her  features, 
and  most  of  all  in  her  changed  eyes,  there  shone  the 
very  light  of  love. 

234 


BABES   IN   THE   WOOD 

"Seraphina?"  he  cried  aloud,  and  with  a  sudden, 
tuneless  voice,  ' '  Seraphina  ?  " 

**Look  round  you  at  this  glade,"  she  cried,  ''and 
where  the  leaves  are  coming  on  young  trees,  and  the 
flowers  begin  to  blossom.  This  is  where  we  meet, 
meet  for  the  first  time;  it  is  so  much  better  to  forget 
and  to  be  born  again.  O,  what  a  pit  there  is  for  sins 
— God's  mercy,  man's  oblivion!" 

''Seraphina,"  he  said,  "let  it  be  so,  indeed;  let  all 
that  was  be  merely  the  abuse  of  dreaming;  let  me  begin 
again,  a  stranger.  I  have  dreamed,  in  a  long  dream, 
that  1  adored  a  girl  unkind  and  beautiful ;  in  all  things 
my  superior,  but  still  cold  like  ice.  And  again  I  dreamed, 
and  thought  she  changed  and  melted,  glowed  and  turned 
to  me.  And  I  —  who  had  no  merit  but  a  love,  slavish 
and  unerect — lay  close,  and  durst  not  move  for  fear  of 
waking." 

"Lie  close,"  she  said,  with  a  deep  thrill  of  speech. 

So  they  spake  in  the  spring  woods;  and  meanwhile, 
in  Mittwalden  Rath-haus  the  Republic  was  declared. 


335 


BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  POSTSCRIPT 

TO  COMPLETE  THE  STORY 

The  reader  well  informed  in  modern  history  will  not 
require  details  as  to  the  fate  of  the  Republic.  The  best 
account  is  to  be  found  in  the  memoirs  of  Herr  Greisen- 
gesang  (7  Bande:  Leipzig),  by  our  passing  acquaintance 
the  licentiate  Roederer.  Herr  Roederer,  with  too  much 
of  an  author's  licence,  makes  a  great  figure  of  his  hero  — 
poses  him,  indeed,  to  be  the  centre-piece  and  cloud- 
compeller  of  the  whole.  But,  with  due  allowance  for 
this  bias,  the  book  is  able  and  complete. 

The  reader  is  of  course  acquainted  with  the  vigorous 
and  bracing  pages  of  Sir  John  (2  volumes:  London: 
Longman,  Hurst,  Rees,  Orme  &  Brown).  Sir  John, 
who  plays  but  a  toothcomb  in  the  orchestra  of  this  his- 
torical romance,  blows  in  his  own  book  the  big  bas- 
soon. His  character  is  there  drawn  at  large ;  and  the 
Sympathy  of  Landor  has  countersigned  the  admiration 
of  the  public.  One  point,  however,  calls  for  explana- 
tion ;  the  chapter  on  Griinewald  was  torn  by  the  hand 
of  the  author  in  the  palace  gardens;  how  comes  it,  then, 
to  figure  at  full  length  among  my  more  modest  pages, 
the  Lion  of  the  caravan  ?  That  eminent  literatus  was  a 
man  of  method;  ''Juvenal  by  double  entry,"  he  was 
once  profanely  called;  and  when  he  tore  the  sheets  in 

236 


TO  COMPLETE  THE  STORY 

question,  it  was  rather,  as  he  has  since  explained,  in  the 
search  for  some  dramatic  evidence  of  his  sincerity,  than 
with  the  thought  of  practical  deletion.  At  that  time,  in- 
deed, he  was  possessed  of  two  blotted  scrolls  and  a  fair 
copy  in  double.  But  the  chapter,  as  the  reader  knows, 
was  honestly  omitted  from  the  famous  **  Memoirs  on  the 
various  Courts  of  Europe."  It  has  been  mine  to  give  it 
to  the  public. 

Bibliography  still  helps  us  with  a  farther  glimpse  of 
our  characters.  I  have  here  before  me  a  small  volume 
(printed  for  private  circulation:  no  printer's  name;  n.d.) 
*' Poesies  par  Frederic  et  Amelie."  Mine  is  a  presen- 
tation copy,  obtained  for  me  by  Mr.  Bain  in  the  Hay- 
market;  and  the  name  of  the  first  owner  is  written  on 
the  fly-leaf  in  the  hand  of  Prince  Otto  himself  The 
modest  epigraph  —  "  Le  rime  n'est  pas  riche  " —  may  be 
attributed,  with  a  good  show  of  likelihood,  to  the  same 
collaborator.  It  is  strikingly  appropriate,  and  I  have 
found  the  volume  very  dreary.  Those  pieces  in  which 
I  seem  to  trace  the  hand  of  the  Princess  are  particularly 
dull  and  conscientious.  But  the  booklet  had  a  fair  suc- 
cess with  that  public  for  which  it  was  designed;  and  I 
have  come  across  some  evidences  of  a  second  venture  of 
the  same  sort,  now  unprocurable.  Here,  at  least,  we 
may  take  leave  of  Otto  and  Seraphina  —  what  do  I  say  ? 
of  Frederic  and  Amelie  —  ageing  together  peaceably  at 
the  court  of  the  wife's  father,  jingling  French  rhymes  and 
correcting  joint  proofs. 

Still  following  the  book-lists,  I  perceive  that  Mr. 
Swinburne  has  dedicated  a  rousing  lyric  and  some  vig- 
orous sonnets  to  the  memory  of  Gondremark;  that 
name  appears  twice  at  least  in  Victor  Hugo's  trumpet 

237 


PRINCE  OTTO 

blasts  of  patriot  enumeration ;  and  I  came  latterly,  when 
I  supposed  my  task  already  ended,  on  a  trace  of  the 
fallen  politician  and  his  Countess.  It  is  in  the  "  Diary 
of  J.  Hogg  Cotterill,  Esq."  (that  very  interesting  work). 
Mr.  Cotterill,  being  at  Naples,  is  introduced  (May  27th) 
to  "  a  Baron  and  Baroness  Gondremark — he  a  man 
who  once  made  a  noise  —  she  still  beautiful  —  both 
witty.  She  complimented  me  much  upon  my  French  — 
should  never  have  known  me  to  be  English  —  had 
known  my  uncle,  Sir  John,  in  Germany  —  recognised 
in  me,  as  a  family  trait,  some  of  his  grand  air  and 
studious  courtesy  —  asked  me  to  call."  And  again 
(May  30th)  ''visited  the  Baronne  de  Gondremark  — 
much  gratified  —  a  most  refined,  intelligent  woman, 
quite  of  the  old  school,  now  helas  !  extinct  —  had  read 
my  Remarks  on  Sicily  —  it  reminds  her  of  my  uncle,  but 
with  more  of  grace  —  I  feared  she  thought  there  was  less 
energy  —  assured  no  —  a  softer  style  of  presentation, 
more  of  the  literary  grace,  but  the  same  firm  grasp  ol 
circumstance  and  force  of  thought  —  in  short,  just  But- 
tonhole's opinion.  Much  encouraged.  1  have  a  real 
esteem  for  this  patrician  lady."  The  acquaintance  lasted 
some  time;  and  when  Mr.  Cotterill  left  in  the  suite  of 
Lord  Protocol,  and,  as  he  is  careful  to  inform  us,  in 
Admiral  Yardarm's  flag-ship,  one  of  his  chief  causes  of 
regret  is  to  leave  '*  that  most  spiritueUe  and  sympathetic 
lady,  who  already  regards  me  as  a  younger  brother." 


238 


ISLAND  NIGHTS'  ENTERTAINMENTS 
THE  BEACH  OF  FALESA 

(Being  the  Narrative  of  a  South-Sea  Trader) 


TO 

THOSE  OLD  SHIPMATES  AMONG  THE   ISLANDS 

HARRY   HENDERSON 
BEN   HIRD 
JACK  BUCKLAND 

THEIR  FRIEND 

R.  L.  S. 


THE  BEACH  OF  FALESA 

CHAPTER  I 

A   SOUTH-SEA    BRIDAL 

1SAW  that  island  first  when  it  was  neither  night  nor 
morning.  The  moon  was  to  the  west,  setting,  but 
still  broad  and  bright.  To  the  east,  and  right  amidships 
of  the  dawn,  which  was  all  pink,  the  day-star  sparkled 
like  a  diamond.  The  land  breeze  blew  in  our  faces,  and 
smelt  strong  of  wild  lime  and  vanilla;  other  things  be- 
sides, but  these  were  the  most  plain ;  and  the  chill  of  it 
set  me  sneezing.  I  should  say  I  had  been  for  years  on 
a  low  island  near  the  line,  living  for  the  most  part  soli- 
tary among  natives.  Here  was  a  fresh  experience ;  even 
the  tongue  would  be  quite  strange  to  me;  and  the  look 
of  these  woods  and  mountains,  and  the  rare  smell  of 
them,  renewed  my  blood. 

The  captain  blew  out  the  binnacle-lamp. 
"There!"  said  he,  "there  goes  a  bit  of  smoke,  Mr. 
Wiltshire,  behind  the  break  of  the  reef.  That's  Falesa, 
where  your  station  is,  the  last  village  to  the  east;  no- 
body lives  to  windward  —  I  don't  know  why.  Take 
my  glass,  and  you  can  make  the  houses  out." 

Copyright,  1892,  1893,  1895,  by  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 
243 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

*'  I  took  the  glass ;  and  the  shores  leaped  nearer,  and  I 
saw  the  tangle  of  the  woods  and  the  breach  of  the  surf, 
and  the  brown  roofs  and  the  black  insides  of  houses 
peeped  among  the  trees. 

*'  Do  you  catch  a  bit  of  white  there  to  the  east'ard  ?" 
the  captain  continued.  **  That's  your  house.  Coral 
built,  stands  high,  veranda  you  could  walk  on  three 
abreast;  best  station  in  the  South  Pacific.  When  old 
Adams  saw  it,  he  took  and  shook  me  by  the  hand.  '  I've 
dropped  into  a  soft  thing  here, '  says  he.  'So  you  have, * 
says  I,  'and  time  too!'  Poor  Johnny!  I  never  saw 
him  again  but  the  once,  and  then  he  had  changed  his 
tune — ^  couldn't  get  on  with  the  natives,  or  the  whites, 
or  something;  and  the  next  time  we  came  round  there, 
he  was  dead  and  buried.  I  took  and  put  up  a  bit  of  a 
stick  to  him:  'John  Adams,  obit  eighteen  and  sixty- 
eight.  Go  thou  and  do  likewise.'  I  missed  that  man. 
I  never  could  see  much  harm  in  Johnny." 

"What  did  he  die  of.^"  I  inquired. 

"  Some  kind  of  sickness,"  says  the  captain.  "  It  ap- 
pears it  took  him  sudden.  Seems  he  got  up  in  the  night, 
and  filled  up  on  Pain  Killer  and  Kennedy's  Discovery. 
No  go  —  he  was  booked  beyond  Kennedy.  Then  he 
had  tried  to  open  a  case  of  gin.  No  go  again  —  not 
strong  enough.  Then  he  must  have  turned  to  and  run 
out  on  the  veranda,  and  capsized  over  the  rail.  When 
they  found  him,  the  next  day,  he  was  clean  crazy — car- 
ried on  all  the  time  about  somebody  watering  his  copra. 
Poor  John!" 

'*  Was  it  thought  to  be  the  island  ?"  I  asked. 

"Well,  it  was  thought  to  be  the  island,  or  the  trou- 
ble, or  something,"  he  replied.     "I  never  could  hear 

244 


A  SOUTH-SEA  BRIDAL 

but  what  it  was  a  healthy  place.  Our  last  man,  Vigours, 
never  turned  a  hair.  He  left  because  of  the  beach  —  said 
he  was  afraid  of  Black  Jack  and  Case  and  Whistling  Jim- 
mie,  who  was  still  alive  at  the  time,  but  got  drowned 
soon  afterward  when  drunk.  As  for  old  Captain  Ran- 
dall, he's  been  here  any  time  since  eighteen-forty,  forty- 
five.  I  never  could  see  much  harm  in  Billy,  nor  much 
change.  Seems  as  if  he  might  live  to  be  Old  Kafoo- 
zleum.     No,  1  guess  it's  healthy." 

"There's  a  boat  coming  now,"  said  I.  '* She's  right 
in  the  pass;  looks  to  be  a  sixteen-foot  whale ;  two  white 
men  in  the  stern-sheets." 

''That's  the  boat  that  drowned  Whistling  Jimmie!" 
cried  the  captain ;  "let's  see  the  glass.  Yes,  that's  Case, 
sure  enough,  and  the  darkie.  They've  got  a  gallows 
bad  reputation,  but  you  know  what  a  place  the  beach 
is  for  talking.  My  belief,  that  Whistling  Jimmie  was  the 
worst  of  the  trouble;  and  he's  gone  to  glory,  you  see. 
What'll  you  bet  they  ain't  after  gin  ?  Lay  you  five  to 
two  they  take  six  cases." 

When  these  two  traders  came  aboard  I  was  pleased 
with  the  looks  of  them  at  once,  or,  rather,  with  the 
looks  of  both,  and  the  speech  of  one.  I  was  sick  for 
white  neighbours  after  my  four  years  at  the  line,  which 
I  always  counted  years  of  prison ;  getting  tabooed,  and 
going  down  to  the  Speak  House  to  see  and  get  it  taken 
off;  buying  gin  and  going  on  a  break,  and  then  repent- 
ing; sitting  in  the  house  at  night  with  the  lamp  for  com- 
pany; or  walking  on  the  beach  and  wondering  what 
kind  of  a  fool  to  call  myself  for  being  where  I  was. 
There  were  no  other  whites  upon  my  island,  and  when 
I  sailed  to  the  next,  rough  customers  made  the  most  of 

245 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

the  society.  Now  to  see  these  two  when  they  came 
aboard  was  a  pleasure.  One  was  a  negro,  to  be  sure; 
but  they  were  both  rigged  out  smart  in  striped  pajamas 
and  straw  hats,  and  Case  would  have  passed  muster  in 
a  city.  He  was  yellow  and  smallish,  had  a  hawk's  nose 
to  his  face,  pale  eyes,  and  his  beard  trimmed  with  scis- 
sors. No  man  knew  his  country,  beyond  he  was  of 
English  speech;  and  it  was  clear  he  came  of  a  good 
family  and  was  splendidly  educated.  He  was  accom- 
plished too;  played  the  accordion  first  rate;  and  give 
him  a  piece  of  a  string  or  a  cork  or  a  pack  of  cards,  and 
he  could  show  you  tricks  equal  to  any  professional.  He 
could  speak,  when  he  chose,  fit  for  a  drawing-room; 
and  when  he  chose  he  could  blaspheme  worse  than  a 
Yankee  boatswain,  and  talk  smart  to  sicken  a  Kanaka. 
The  way  he  thought  would  pay  best  at  the  moment, 
that  was  Case's  way,  and  it  always  seemed  to  come 
natural,  and  like  as  if  he  was  born  to  it.  He  had  the 
courage  of  a  lion  and  the  cunning  of  a  rat;  and  if  he's 
not  in  hell  to-day,  there's  no  such  place.  I  know  but 
one  good  point  to  the  man  —  that  he  was  fond  of  his 
wife,  and  kind  to  her.  She  was  a  Samoa  woman,  and 
dyed  her  hair  red — Samoa  style;  and  when  he  came  to 
die  (as  I  have  to  tell  of)  they  found  one  strange  thing  — 
that  he  had  made  a  will,  like  a  Christian,  and  the  widow 
got  the  lot;  all  his,  they  said,  and  all  Black  Jack's,  and 
the  most  of  Billy  Randall's  in  the  bargain,  for  it  was 
Case  that  kept  the  books.  So  she  went  off  home  in  the 
schooner  Manu'a,  and  does  the  lady  to  this  day  in  her 
own  place. 

But  of  all  this  on  that  first  morning  I  knew  no  more 
than  a  fly.     Case  used  me  like  a  gentleman  and  like  a 

246 


A  SOUTH-SEA   BRIDAL 

friend,  made  me  welcome  to  Falesa,  and  put  his  ser- 
vices at  my  disposal,  which  was  the  more  helpful  from 
my  ignorance  of  the  natives.  All  the  better  part  of  the 
day  we  sat  drinking  better  acquaintance  in  the  cabin, 
and  I  never  heard  a  man  talk  more  to  the  point.  There 
was  no  smarter  trader,  and  none  dodgier,  in  the  islands. 
I  thought  Falesa  seemed  to  be  the  right  kind  of  a  place ; 
and  the  more  I  drank  the  lighter  my  heart.  Our  last 
trader  had  fled  the  place  at  half  an  hour's  notice,  taking 
a  chance  passage  in  a  labor  ship  from  up  west.  The 
captain,  when  he  came,  had  found  the  station  closed,  the 
keys  left  with  the  native  pastor,  and  a  letter  from  the 
runaway,  confessing  he  was  fairly  frightened  of  his  life. 
Since  then  the  firm  had  not  been  represented,  and  of 
course  there  was  no  cargo.  The  wind,  besides,  was 
fair,  the  captain  hoped  he  could  make  his  next  island  by 
dawn,  with  a  good  tide,  and  the  business  of  landing 
my  trade  was  gone  about  lively.  There  was  no  call  for 
me  to  fool  with  it,  Case  said ;  nobody  would  touch  my 
things,  everyone  was  honest  in  Falesa,  only  about  chick- 
ens or  an  odd  knife  or  an  odd  stick  of  tobacco ;  and  the 
best  I  could  do  was  to  sit  quiet  till  the  vessel  left,  then 
come  straight  to  his  house,  see  old  Captain  Randall,  the 
father  of  the  beach,  take  pot-luck,  and  go  home  to  sleep 
when  it  got  dark.  So  it  was  high  noon,  and  the  schoo- 
ner was  under  way  before  I  set  my  foot  on  shore  at 
Falesa. 

I  had  a  glass  or  two  on  board ;  I  was  just  off  a  long 
cruise,  and  the  ground  heaved  under  me  like  a  ship's 
deck.  The  world  was  like  all  new  painted ;  my  foot  went 
along  to  music;  Falesa  might  have  been  Fiddler's  Green, 
if  there  is  such  a  place,  and  more's  the  pity  if  there  isn't! 

247 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

It  was  good  to  foot  the  grass,  to  look  aloft  at  the  green 
mountains,  to  see  the  men  with  their  green  wreaths  and 
the  women  in  their  bright  dresses,  red  and  blue.  On 
we  went,  in  the  strong  sun  and  the  cool  shadow,  liking 
both ;  and  all  the  children  in  the  town  came  trotting  af- 
ter with  their  shaven  heads  and  their  brown  bodies, 
and  raising  a  thin  kind  of  a  cheer  in  our  wake,  like 
crowing  poultry. 

''By  the  bye,"  says  Case,  '*we  must  get  you  a 
wife." 

** That's  so,"  said  I;  " I  had  forgotten." 

There  was  a  crowd  of  girls  about  us,  and  I  pulled 
myself  up  and  looked  among  them  like  a  bashaw.  They 
were  all  dressed  out  for  the  sake  of  the  ship  being  in ; 
and  the  women  of  Falesa  are  a  handsome  lot  to  see.  If 
they  have  a  fault,  they  are  a  trifle  broad  in  the  beam ; 
and  I  was  just  thinking  so  when  Case  touched  me. 

''  That's  pretty,"  says  he. 

I  saw  one  coming  on  the  other  side  alone.  She  had 
been  fishing;  all  she  wore  was  a  chemise,  and  it  was 
wetted  through.  She  was  young  and  very  slender  for 
an  island  maid,  with  a  long  face,  a  high  forehead,  and 
a  shy,  strange,  blindish  look,  between  a  cat's  and  a 
baby's. 

* '  Who's  she  ?  "  said  I.     ' '  She'll  do. " 

"That's  Uma,"  said  Case,  and  he  called  her  up  and 
spoke  to  her  in  the  native.  I  didn't  know  what  he 
said;  but  when  he  was  in  the  midst  she  looked  up  at 
me  quick  and  timid,  like  a  child  dodging  a  blow,  then 
down  again,  and  presently  smiled.  She  had  a  wide 
mouth,  the  lips  and  the  chin  cut  like  any  statue's;  and 
the  smile  came  out  for  a  moment  and  was  gone.     Then 

248 


A  SOUTH-SEA   BRIDAL 

she  stood  with  her  head  bent,  and  heard  Case  to  an  end, 
spoke  back  in  the  pretty  Polynesian  voice,  looking  him 
full  in  the  face,  heard  him  again  in  answer,  and  then 
with  an  obeisance  started  off.  I  had  just  a  share  of  the 
bow,  but  never  another  shot  of  her  eye,  and  there  was 
no  more  word  of  smiling. 

"  I  guess  it's  all  right,"  said  Case.  "I  guess  you  can 
have  her.  I'll  make  it  square  with  the  old  lady.  You 
can  have  your  pick  of  the  lot  for  a  plug  of  tobacco,"  he 
added,  sneering. 

I  suppose  it  was  the  smile  that  stuck  in  my  memory, 
for  I  spoke  back  sharp.  ''She  doesn't  look  that  sort," 
I  cried. 

"I  don't  know  that  she  is,"  said  Case.  "\  believe 
she's  as  right  as  the  mail.  Keeps  to  herself,  don't  gc 
round  with  the  gang,  and  that.  Oh,  no,  don't  you  misr 
understand  me  —  Uma's  on  the  square."  He  spoke 
eager,  I  thought,  and  that  surprised  and  pleased  me. 
''Indeed,"  he  went  on,  "I  shouldn't  make  so  sure  of 
getting  her,  only  she  cottoned  to  the  cut  of  your  jib. 
All  you  have  to  do  is  to  keep  dark  and  let  me  work  the 
mother  my  own  way;  and  I'll  bring  the  girl  round  to 
the  captain's  for  the  marriage." 

I  didn't  care  for  the  word  marriage,  and  I  said  so. 

"Oh,  there's  nothing  to  hurt  in  the  marriage,"  say§ 
he.     "  Black  Jack's  the  chaplain." 

By  this  time  we  had  come  in  view  of  the  house  of 
these  three  white  men ;  for  a  negro  is  counted  a  white 
man,  and  so  is  a  Chinese!  A  strange  idea,  but  common 
in  the  islands.  It  was  a  board  house  with  a  strip  of 
rickety  veranda.  The  store  was  to  the  front,  with  a 
counter,  scales,  and  the  finest  possible  display  of  trade: 

249 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

a  case  or  two  of  tinned  meats ;  a  barrel  of  hard  bread, 
a  few  bolts  of  cotton  stuff,  not  to  be  compared  with 
mine;  the  only  thing  well  represented  being  the  contra- 
band firearms  and  liquor.  "If  these  are  my  only  ri- 
vals," thinks  I,  *'I  should  do  well  in  Falesa."  Indeed, 
there  was  only  the  one  way  they  could  touch  me,  and 
that  was  with  the  guns  and  drink. 

In  the  back  room  was  old  Captain  Randall,  squatting 
on  the  floor  native  fashion,  fat  and  pale,  naked  to  the 
waist,  grey  as  a  badger,  and  his  eyes  set  with  drink. 
His  body  was  covered  with  gray  hair  and  crawled  over 
by  flies;  one  was  in  the  corner  of  his  eye  —  he  never 
heeded ;  and  the  mosquitoes  hummed  about  the  man 
like  bees.  Any  clean-minded  man  would  have  had  the 
creature  out  at  once  and  buried  him ;  and  to  see  him, 
and  think  he  was  seventy,  and  remember  he  had  once 
commanded  a  ship,  and  come  ashore  in  his  smart  togs, 
and  talked  big  in  bars  and  consulates,  and  sat  in  club 
verandas,  turned  me  sick  and  sober. 

He  tried  to  get  up  when  I  came  in,  but  that  was  hope- 
less ;  so  he  reached  me  a  hand  instead,  and  stumbled 
out  some  salutation. 

"Papa's  pretty  full  this  morning,"  observed  Case. 
''We've  had  an  epidemic  here;  and  Captain  Randall 
takes  gin  for  a  prophylactic  —  don't  you,  papa.?" 

"Never  took  such  a  thing  in  my  life!  "  cried  the  cap- 
tain, indignantly.  "  Take  gin  for  my  health's  sake,  Mr. 
Wha's-ever-your-name  —  's  a  precautionary  measure." 

"That's  all  right,  papa,"  said  Case.  "  But  you'll  have 
to  brace  up.  There's  going  to  be  a  marriage  —  Mr. 
Wiltshire  here  is  going  to  get  spliced." 

The  old  man  asked  to  whom. 

2SO 


A  SOUTH-SEA   BRIDAL 

*'To  Uma,"  said  Case. 

"  Uma!  "  cried  the  captain.  *'  Wha's  he  want  Uma 
for  ?  's  he  come  here  for  his  health,  anyway  ?  Wha'  'n 
hell's  he  want  Uma  for  ?  " 

**Dry  up,  papa,"  said  Case.  "Tain't  you  that's  to 
marry  her.  I  guess  you're  not  her  godfather  and  god- 
mother. I  guess  Mr.  Wiltshire's  going  to  please  him- 
self" 

With  that  he  made  an  excuse  to  me  that  he  must 
move  about  the  marriage,  and  left  me  alone  with  the 
poor  wretch  that  was  his  partner  and  (to  speak  truth) 
his  gull.  Trade  and  station  belonged  both  to  Randall; 
Case  and  the  negro  were  parasites;  they  crawled  and 
fed  upon  him  like  the  flies,  he  none  the  wiser.  Indeed, 
I  have  no  harm  to  say  of  Billy  Randall  beyond  the  fact 
that  my  gorge  rose  at  him,  and  the  time  I  now  passed 
in  his  company  was  like  a  nightmare. 

The  room  was  stifling  hot  and  full  of  flies ;  for  the 
house  was  dirty  and  low  and  small,  and  stood  in  a  bad 
place,  behind  the  village,  in  the  borders  of  the  bush,  and 
sheltered  from  the  trade.  The  three  men's  beds  were 
on  the  floor,  and  a  litter  of  pans  and  dishes.  There  was 
no  standing  furniture;  Randall,  when  he  was  violent, 
tearing  it  to  laths.  There  I  sat  and  had  a  meal  which 
was  served  us  by  Case's  wife ;  and  there  I  was  enter- 
tained all  day  by  that  remains  of  man,  his  tongue  stum- 
bling among  low  old  jokes  and  long  old  stories,  and  his 
own  wheezy  laughter  always  ready,  so  that  he  had  no 
sense  of  my  depression.  He  was  nipping  gin  all  the 
while.  Sometimes  he  fell  asleep,  and  awoke  again, 
whimpering  and  shivering,  and  every  now  and  again  he 
would  ask  me  why  I  wanted  to  marry  Uma.     *'My 

251 


THE  BEACH   OF   FALESA 

friend,"  I  was  telling  myself  all  day,  ''you  must  not 
come  to  be  an  old  gentleman  like  this." 

It  might  be  four  in  the  afternoon,  perhaps,  when  the 
back  door  was  thrust  slowly  open,  and  a  strange  old 
native  woman  crawled  into  the  house  almost  on  her 
belly.  She  was  swathed  in  black  stuff  to  her  heels ; 
her  hair  was  gray  in  swatches ;  her  face  was  tattooed, 
which  was  not  the  practice  in  that  island ;  her  eyes  big 
and  bright  and  crazy.  These  she  fixed  upon  me  with  a 
rapt  expression  that  I  saw  to  be  part  acting.  She  said 
no  plain  word,  but  smacked  and  mumbled  with  her 
lips,  and  hummed  aloud,  like  a  child  over  its  Christmas 
pudding.  She  came  straight  across  the  house,  heading 
for  me,  and,  as  soon  as  she  was  alongside,  caught  up 
my  hand  and  purred  and  crooned  over  it  like  a  great 
cat.     From  this  she  slipped  into  a  kind  of  song. 

"  Who  the  devil's  this  ?  "  cried  I,  for  the  thing  startled 
me. 

''It's  Faavao,"  says  Randall;  and  I  saw  he  had  hitched 
along  the  floor  into  the  farthest  corner. 

"  You  ain't  afraid  of  her  ?  "  I  cried. 

*'  Me  'fraid! "  cried  the  captain.  "  My  dear  friend,  I 
defy  her!  I  don't  let  her  put  her  foot  in  here,  only  I 
suppose  's  different  to-day  for  the  marriage,  's  Uma's 
mother." 

"Well,  suppose  it  is ;  what's  she  carrying  on  about  ?  " 
I  asked,  more  irritated,  perhaps  more  frightened,  than 
I  cared  to  show ;  and  the  captain  told  me  she  was  mak- 
ing up  a  quantity  of  poetry  in  my  praise  because  I  was 
to  marry  Uma.  "All  right,  old  lady,"  says  I,  with  ra- 
ther a  failure  of  a  laugh,  ' '  anything  to  oblige.  But  when 
you're  done  with  my  hand,  you  might  let  me  know." 

252 


A  SOUTH-SEA   BRIDAL 

She  did  as  though  she  understood ;  the  song  rose  in- 
to aery,  and  stopped;  the  woman  crouched  out  of  the 
house  the  same  way  that  she  came  in,  and  must  have 
plunged  straight  into  the  bush,  for  when  I  followed  her 
to  the  door  she  had  already  vanished. 

''These  are  rum  manners,"  said  I. 

"  'S  a  rum  crowd,"  said  the  captain,  and,  to  my  sur- 
prise, he  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  his  bare  bosom. 

**  Hillo ! "  says  I,  '*  are  you  a  Papist  ?  " 

He  repudiated  the  idea  with  contempt.  "  Hard-shell 
Baptis',"  said  he.  "But,  my  dear  friend,  the  Papists 
got  some  good  ideas  too;  and  th'  's  one  of 'em.  You 
take  my  advice,  and  whenever  you  come  across  Uma 
or  Faavao  or  Vigours,  or  any  of  that  crowd,  you  take  a 
leaf  out  o'  the  priests,  and  do  what  I  do.  Savvy  ?  "  says 
he,  repeated  the  sign,  and  winked  his  dim  eye  at  me. 
**No,  sir/  "  he  broke  out  again,  "no  Papists  here!  " 
and  for  a  long  time  entertained  me  with  his  religious 
opinions. 

I  must  have  been  taken  with  Uma  from  the  first,  or 
I  should  certainly  have  fled  from  that  house,  and  got 
into  the  clean  air,  and  the  clean  sea,  or  some  convenient 
river  —  though,  it's  true,  I  was  committed  to  Case;  and, 
besides,  I  could  never  have  held  my  head  up  in  that 
island  if  I  had  run  from  a  girl  upon  my  wedding-night. 

The  sun  was  down,  the  sky  all  on  fire,  and  the  lamp 
had  been  some  time  lighted,  when  Case  came  back  with 
Uma  and  the  negro.  She  was  dressed  and  scented ; 
her  kilt  was  of  fine  tapa,  looking  richer  in  the  folds  than 
any  silk;  her  bust,  which  was  of  the  color  of  dark  honey, 
she  wore  bare,  only  for  some  half  a  dozen  necklaces  of 
seeds  and  flowers;  and  behind  her  ears  and  in  her  hair 

353 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

she  had  the  scarlet  flowers  of  the  hibiscus.  She  showed 
the  best  bearing  for  a  bride  conceivable,  serious  and 
still;  and  I  thought  shame  to  stand  up  with  her  in  that 
mean  house  and  before  that  grinning  negro.  1  thought 
shame,  I  say ;  for  the  mountebank  was  dressed  with  a  big 
paper  collar,  the  book  he  made  believe  to  read  from  was 
an  odd  volume  of  a  novel,  and  the  words  of  his  service 
not  fit  to  be  set  down.  My  conscience  smote  me  when 
we  joined  hands;  and  when  she  got  her  certificate  I 
was  tempted  to  throw  up  the  bargain  and  confess. 
Here  is  the  document.  It  was  Case  that  wrote  it,  sig- 
natures and  all,  in  a  leaf  out  of  the  ledger: 

This  is  to  certify  that  Uma,  daughter  of  Faavao  of  Falesa,  Island  of 

,  is  illegally  married  to  Mr.  John  Wiltshire,  and  Mr.  John  Wiltshire 

is  at  liberty  to  send  her  packing  when  he  pleases. 

John  Blackamoar, 
Extracted  from  the  Register  Chaplain  to  the  Hulks, 

by  William  T.  Randall, 
Master  Mariner. 

A  nice  paper  to  put  in  a  girl's  hand  and  see  her  hide 
away  like  gold.  A  man  might  easily  feel  cheap  for  less. 
But  it  was  the  practice  in  these  parts,  and  (as  I  told  my- 
self) not  the  least  the  fault  of  us  white  men,  but  of  the 
missionaries.  If  they  had  let  the  natives  be,  I  had  never 
needed  this  deception,  but  taken  all  the  wives  I  wished, 
and  left  them  when  I  pleased,  with  a  clear  conscience. 

The  more  ashamed  I  was,  the  more  hurry  I  was  in  to 
be  gone;  and  our  desires  thus  jumping  together,  I  made 
the  less  remark  of  a  change  in  the  traders.  Case  had 
been  all  eagerness  to  keep  me;  now,  as  though  he  had 
attained  a  purpose,  he  seemed  all  eagerness  to  have  me 

254 


A  SOUTH-SEA   BRIDAL 

go.  Uma,  he  said,  could  show  me  to  my  house,  and 
the  three  bade  us  farewell  indoors. 

The  night  was  nearly  come;  the  village  smelt  of  trees 
and  flowers  and  the  sea  and  bread-fruit-cooking;  there 
came  a  fme  roll  of  sea  from  the  reef,  and  from  a  distance, 
among  the  woods  and  houses,  many  pretty  sounds  of 
men  and  children.  It  did  me  good  to  breathe  free  air; 
it  did  me  good  to  be  done  with  the  captain,  and  see,  in- 
stead, the  creature  at  my  side.  I  felt  for  all  the  world  as 
though  she  were  some  girl  at  home  in  the  Old  Country, 
and  forgetting  myself  for  the  minute,  took  her  hand  to 
walk  with.  Her  fingers  nestled  into  mine,  I  heard  her 
breathe  deep  and  quick,  and  all  at  once  she  caught  my 
hand  to  her  face  and  pressed  it  there.  ''You  good!" 
she  cried,  and  ran  ahead  of  me,  and  stopped  and  looked 
back  and  smiled,  and  ran  ahead  of  me  again,  thus  guid- 
ing me  through  the  edge  of  the  bush,  and  by  a  quiet 
way  to  my  own  house. 

The  truth  is.  Case  had  done  the  courting  for  me  in 
style  —  told  her  I  was  mad  to  have  her,  and  cared  noth- 
ing for  the  consequences;  and  the  poor  soul,  knowing 
that  which  I  was  still  ignorant  of,  believed  it,  every 
word,  and  had  her  head  nigh  turned  with  vanity  and 
gratitude.  Now,  of  all  this  I  had  no  guess ;  I  was  one 
of  those  most  opposed  to  any  nonsense  about  native 
women,  having  seen  so  many  whites  eaten  up  by  their 
wives'  relatives,  and  made  fools  of  into  the  bargain; 
and  I  told  myself  I  must  make  a  stand  at  once,  and 
bring  her  to  her  bearings.  But  she  looked  so  quaint 
and  pretty  as  she  ran  away  and  then  awaited  me,  and 
the  thing  was  done  so  like  a  child  or  a  kind  dog,  that 
the  best  I  could  do  was  just  to  follow  her  whenever  she 

255 


THE  BEACH   OF   FALESA 

went  on,  to  listen  for  the  fall  of  her  bare  feet,  and  to 
watch  in  the  dusk  for  the  shining  of  her  body.  And 
there  was  another  thought  came  in  my  head.  She 
played  kitten  with  me  now  when  we  were  alone;  but 
in  the  house  she  had  carried  it  the  way  a  countess  might, 
so  proud  and  humble.  And  what  with  her  dress — for 
all  there  was  so  little  of  it,  and  that  native  enough  — 
what  with  her  fine  tapa  and  fine  scents,  and  her  red 
flowers  and  seeds,  that  were  quite  as  bright  as  jew- 
els, only  larger  —  it  came  over  me  she  was  a  kind  of 
countess  really,  dressed  to  hear  great  singers  at  a  con- 
cert, and  no  even  mate  for  a  poor  trader  like  myself 

She  was  the  first  in  the  house ;  and  while  I  was  still 
without  I  saw  a  match  flash  and  the  lamplight  kindle  in 
the  windows.  The  station  was  a  wonderful  fine  place, 
coral  built,  with  quite  a  wide  veranda,  and  the  main 
room  high  and  wide.  My  chests  and  cases  had  been 
piled  in,  and  made  rather  of  a  mess;  and  there,  in  the 
thick  of  the  confusion,  stood  Uma  by  the  table,  await- 
ing me.  Her  shadow  went  all  the  way  up  behind  her 
Into  the  hollow  of  the  iron  roof;  she  stood  against  it 
bright,  the  lamplight  shining  on  her  skin.  I  stopped  in 
the  door,  and  she  looked  at  me,  not  speaking,  with  eyes 
that  were  eager  and  yet  daunted;  then  she  touched  her- 
self on  the  bosom. 

* '  Me  —  your  wifie, "  she  said.  It  had  never  taken  me 
like  that  before;  but  the  want  of  her  took  and  shook 
all  through  me,  like  the  wind  in  the  luff  of  a  sail. 

I  could  not  speak  if  I  had  wanted ;  and  if  I  could,  I 
would  not.  I  was  ashamed  to  be  so  much  moved  about 
a  native,  ashamed  of  the  marriage  too,  and  the  certi- 
ficate she  had  treasured  in  her  kilt;  and  I  turned  aside 

256 


A  SOUTH-SEA   BRIDAL 

and  made  believe  to  rummage  among  my  cases.  The 
first  thing  I  lighted  on  was  a  case  of  gin,  the  only  one 
that  I  had  brought;  and  partly  for  the  girl's  sake,  and 
partly  for  horror  of  the  recollections  of  old  Randall,  took 
a  sudden  resolve.  I  pried  the  lid  off.  One  by  one  I 
drew  the  bottles  with  a  pocket  corkscrew,  and  sent 
Uma  out  to  pour  the  stuff  from  the  veranda. 

She  came  back  after  the  last,  and  looked  at  me  puz- 
zled like. 

"No  good,"  said  I,  for  I  was  now  a  little  better  mas- 
ter of  my  tongue.     "  Man  he  drink,  he  no  good." 

She  agreed  with  this,  but  kept  considering.  "Why 
you  bring  him  ? "  she  asked,  presently.  "Suppose  you 
no  want  drink,  you  no  bring  him,  I  think." 

"That's  all  right,"  said  I.  "One  time  I  want  drink 
too  much ;  now  no  want.  You  see,  I  no  savvy,  I  get  one 
little  wifie.   Suppose  I  drink  gin,  my  little  wifie  be  'fraid. " 

To  speak  to  her  kindly  was  about  more  than  I  was 
fit  for;  I  had  made  my  vow  I  would  never  let  on  to 
weakness  with  a  native,  and  I  had  nothing  for  it  but  to 
stop. 

She  stood  looking  gravely  down  at  me  where  I  sat 
by  the  open  case.  "  I  think  you  good  man,"  she  said. 
And  suddenly  she  had  fallen  before  me  on  the  floor.  "  I 
belong  you  all-e-same  pig!  "  she  cried. 


«57 


CHAPTER  II 

THE   BAN 

I  CAME  on  the  veranda  just  before  the  sun  rose  on  the 
morrow.  My  house  was  the  last  on  the  east;  there  was 
a  cape  of  woods  and  cliffs  behind  that  hid  the  sunrise. 
To  the  west,  a  swift,  cold  river  ran  down,  and  beyond 
was  the  green  of  the  village,  dotted  with  cocoa-palms 
and  bread-fruits  and  houses.  The  shutters  were  some 
of  them  down  and  some  open;  1  saw  the  mosquito  bars 
still  stretched,  with  shadows  of  people  new-awakened 
sitting  up  inside;  and  all  over  the  green  others  were 
stalking  silent,  wrapped  in  their  many-coloured  sleeping 
clothes,  like  Bedouins  in  Bible  pictures.  It  was  mortal 
still  and  solemn  and  chilly,  and  the  light  of  the  dawn  on 
the  lagoon  was  like  the  shining  of  a  fire. 

But  the  thing  that  troubled  me  was  nearer  hand. 
Some  dozen  young  men  and  children  made  a  piece  of  a 
half-circle,  flanking  my  house:  the  river  divided  them, 
some  were  on  the  near  side,  some  on  the  far,  and  one 
on  a  boulder  in  the  midst;  and  they  all  sat  silent, 
wrapped  in  their  sheets,  and  stared  at  me  and  my  house 
as  straight  as  pointer  dogs.  I  thought  it  strange  as  I 
went  out.  When  I  had  bathed  and  come  back  again, 
and  found  them  all  there,  and  two  or  three  more  along 
with  them,  I  thought  it  stranger  still.  What  could  they 
see  to  gaze  at  in  my  house  I  wondered,  and  went  in. 

258 


THE  BAN 

But  the  thought  of  these  starers  stuck  in  my  mind, 
and  presently  I  came  out  again.  The  sun  was  now  up, 
but  it  was  still  behind  the  cape  of  woods.  Say  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  had  come  and  gone.  The  crowd  was 
greatly  increased,  the  far  bank  of  the  river  was  lined  for 
quite  a  way  —  perhaps  thirty  grown  folk,  and  of  children 
twice  as  many,  some  standing,  some  squatted  on  the 
ground,  and  all  staring  at  my  house.  I  have  seen  a  house 
in  a  South-Sea  village  thus  surrounded,  but  then  a  trader 
was  thrashing  his  wife  inside,  and  she  singing  out. 
Here  was  nothing  —  the  stove  was  alight,  the  smoke 
going  up  in  a  Christian  manner;  all  was  shipshape  and 
Bristol  fashion.  To  be  sure,  there  was  a  stranger  come, 
but  they  had  a  chance  to  see  that  stranger  yesterday, 
and  took  it  quiet  enough.  What  ailed  them  now  ?  I 
leaned  my  arms  on  the  rail  and  stared  back.  Devil  a 
wink  they  had  in  them !  Now  and  then  I  could  see  the 
children  chatter,  but  they  spoke  so  low  not  even  the  hum 
of  their  speaking  came  my  length.  The  rest  were  like 
graven  images :  they  stared  at  me,  dumb  and  sorrow- 
ful, with  their  bright  eyes ;  and  it  came  upon  me  things 
would  look  not  much  different  if  I  were  on  the  platform 
of  the  gallows,  and  these  good  folk  had  come  to  see  me 
hanged. 

I  felt  I  was  getting  daunted,  and  began  to  be  afraid 
I  looked  it,  which  would  never  do.  Up  I  stood,  made 
believe  to  stretch  myself,  camie  down  the  veranda  stair, 
and  strolled  toward  the  river.  There  went  a  short  buzz 
from  one  to  the  other,  like  what  you  hear  in  theatres 
when  the  curtain  goes  up ;  and  some  of  the  nearest 
gave  back  the  matter  of  a  pace.  I  saw  a  girl  lay  one 
hand  on  a  young  man  and  make  a  gesture  upward  with 

259 


THE  BEACH   OF   FALESA 

the  Other;  at  the  same  time  she  said  something  in  the  na- 
tive with  a  gasping  voice.  Three  little  boys  sat  beside 
m,y  path,  where  I  must  pass  within  three  feet  of  them. 
Wrapped  in  their  sheets,  with  their  shaved  heads  and 
bits  of  topknots,  and  queer  faces,  they  looked  like  fig- 
ures on  a  chimney-piece.  Awhile  they  sat  their  ground, 
solemn  as  judges.  I  came  up  hand  over  fist,  doing  my 
five  knots,  like  a  man  that  meant  business;  and  I 
thought  I  saw  a  sort  of  a  wink  and  gulp  in  the  three 
faces.  Then  one  jumped  up  (he  was  the  farthest  off) 
and  ran  for  his  mammy.  The  other  two,  trying  to  fol- 
low suit,  got  foul,  came  to  the  ground  together  bawl- 
ing, wriggled  right  out  of  their  sheets,  and  in  a  moment 
there  were  all  three  of  them  scampering  for  their  lives, 
and  singing  out  like  pigs.  The  natives,  who  would 
never  let  a  joke  slip,  even  at  a  burial,  laughed  and  let  up, 
as  short  as  a  dog's  bark. 

They  say  it  scares  a  man  to  be  alone.  No  such  thing. 
What  scares  him  in  the  dark  or  the  high  bush  is  that  he 
can't  make  sure,  and  there  might  be  an  army  at  his  el- 
bow. What  scares  him  worst  is  to  be  right  in  the  midst 
of  a  crowd,  and  have  no  guess  of  what  they're  driving 
at.  When  that  laugh  stopped,  I  stopped  too.  The 
boys  had  not  yet  made  their  oifing;  they  were  still  on 
the  full  stretch  going  the  one  way,  when  I  had  already 
gone  about  ship  and  was  sheering  off  the  other.  Like  a 
fool  I  had  come  out,  doing  my  five  knots ;  like  a  fool  I 
went  back  again.  It  must  have  been  the  funniest  thing 
to  see,  and  what  knocked  me  silly,  this  time  no  one 
laughed;  only  one  old  woman  gave  a  kind  of  pious 
moan,  the  way  you  have  heard  Dissenters  in  their  chap- 
els at  the  sermon. 

260 


THE  BAN 

"  I  never  saw  such  fools  of  Kanakas  as  your  people 
here,"  I  said  once  to  Uma,  glancing  out  of  the  window 
at  the  starers. 

'*  Savvy  nothing,"  says  Uma,  with  a  kind  of  disgusted 
air  that  she  was  good  at. 

And  that  was  all  the  talk  we  had  upon  the  matter,  for 
I  was  put  out,  and  Uma  took  the  thing  so  much  as  a 
matter  of  course  that  I  was  fairly  ashamed. 

All  day,  off  and  on,  now  fewer  and  now  more,  the 
fools  sat  about  the  west  end  of  my  house  and  across  the 
river,  waiting  for  the  show,  whatever  that  was  —  fire  to 
come  down  from  heaven,  I  suppose,  and  consume  me, 
bones  and  baggage.  But  by  evening,  like  real  island- 
ers, they  had  wearied  of  the  business,  and  got  away,  and 
had  a  dance  instead  in  the  big  house  of  the  village, 
where  I  heard  them  singing  and  clapping  hands  till, 
maybe,  ten  at  night,  and  the  next  day  it  seemed  they 
had  forgotten  I  existed.  If  fire  had  come  down  from 
heaven  or  the  earth  opened  and  swallowed  me,  there 
would  have  been  nobody  to  see  the  sport  or  take  the 
lesson,  or  whatever  you  like  to  call  it.  But  I  was  to  find 
they  hadn't  forgot  either,  and  kept  an  eye  lifting  for 
phenomena  over  my  way. 

I  was  hard  at  it  both  these  days  getting  my  trade  in 
order  and  taking  stock  of  what  Vigours  had  left.  This 
was  a  job  that  made  me  pretty  sick,  and  kept  me  from 
thinking  on  much  else.  Ben  had  taken  stock  the  trip 
before — I  knew  I  could  trust  Ben  —  but  it  was  plain 
somebody  had  been  making  free  in  the  meantime.  I 
found  I  was  out  by  what  might  easily  cover  six  months* 
salary  and  profit,  and  I  could  have  kicked  myself  all 
round  the  village  to  have  been  such  a  blamed  ass,  sitting 

261 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

boozing  with  that  Case  instead  of  attending  to  my  own 
affairs  and  taking  stock. 

However,  there's  no  use  crying  over  spilt  milk.  It  was 
done  now,  and  couldn't  be  undone.  All  I  could  do  was 
to  get  what  was  left  of  it,  and  my  new  stuff  (my  own 
choice)  in  order,  to  go  round  and  get  after  the  rats  and 
cockroaches,  and  to  fix  up  that  store  regular  Sydney 
style.  A  fine  show  I  made  of  it ;  and  the  third  morn- 
ing, when  I  had  lit  my  pipe  and  stood  in  the  doorway 
and  looked  in,  and  turned  and  looked  far  up  the  moun- 
tain and  saw  the  cocoa-nuts  waving  and  posted  up  the 
tons  of  copra,  and  over  the  village  green  and  saw  the 
island  dandies  and  reckoned  up  the  yards  of  print  they 
wanted  for  their  kilts  and  dresses,  I  felt  as  if  I  was  in  the 
right  place  to  make  a  fortune,  and  go  home  again  and 
start  a  public-house.  There  was  I,  sitting  in  that  ve- 
randa, in  as  handsome  a  piece  of  scenery  as  you  could 
find,  a  splendid  sun,  and  a  fine,  fresh,  healthy  trade  that 
stirred  up  a  man's  blood  like  sea-bathing;  and  the  whole 
thing  was  clean  gone  from  me,  and  I  was  dreaming 
England,  which  is,  after  all,  a  nasty,  cold,  muddy  hole, 
with  not  enough  light  to  see  to  read  by;  and  dreaming 
the  looks  of  my  public,  by  a  cant  of  a  broad  high-road 
like  an  avenue  and  with  the  sign  on  a  green  tree. 

So  much  for  the  morning,  but  the  day  passed  and 
the  devil  anyone  looked  near  me,  and  from  all  I  knew  of 
natives  in  other  islands  I  thought  this  strange.  People 
laughed  a  little  at  our  firm  and  their  fine  stations,  and  at 
this  station  of  Falesa  in  particular;  all  the  copra  in  the 
district  wouldn't  pay  for  it  (I  heard  them  say)  in  fifty 
years,  which  I  supposed  was  an  exaggeration.  But 
when  the  day  went,  and  no  business  came  at  all,  I  be- 

262 


THE   BAN 

gan  to  get  downhearted ;  and,  about  three  in  the  after- 
noon, I  went  out  for  a  stroll  to  cheer  me  up.  On  the 
green  I  saw  a  white  man  coming  with  a  cassock  on,  by 
which  and  by  the  face  of  him  I  knew  he  was  a  priest. 
He  was  a  good-natured  old  soul  to  look  at,  gone  a  little 
grizzled,  and  so  dirty  you  could  have  written  with  him 
on  a  piece  of  paper. 

'* Good-day,  sir,"  said  I. 

He  answered  me  eagerly  in  native. 

"  Don't  you  speak  any  English  ?"  said  I. 

''French,"  says  he. 

"Well,"  said  I,  "I'm  sorry,  but  I  can't  do  anything 
there." 

He  tried  me  a  while  in  the  French,  and  then  again  in 
native,  which  he  seemed  to  think  was  the  best  chance. 
I  made  out  he  was  after  more  than  passing  the  time  of 
day  with  me,  but  had  something  to  communicate,  and 
I  listened  the  harder.  I  heard  the  names  of  Adams  and 
Case  and  of  Randall  —  Randall  the  oftenest  —  and  the 
word  "  poison,"  or  something  like  it,  and  a  native  word 
that  he  said  very  often.  I  went  home,  repeating  it  to 
myself 

"  What  does  fussy-ocky  mean  ?  "  I  asked  of  Uma,  for 
that  was  as  near  as  I  could  come  to  it. 

"Make  dead,"  said  she. 

"The  devil  it  does!"  says  I.  "Did  ever  you  hear 
that  Case  had  poisoned  Johnny  Adams  ?  " 

"  Every  man  he  savvy  that,"  says  Uma,  scornful-like. 
"  Give  him  white  sand  —  bad  sand.  He  got  the  bottle 
still.     Suppose  he  give  you  gin,  you  no  take  him." 

Now  I  had  heard  much  the  same  sort  of  story  in  other 
islands,  and  the  same  white  powder  always  to  the  front 

263 


THE  BEACH   OF  FALESA 

which  made  me  think  the  less  of  it.  For  all  that,  I  went 
over  to  Randall's  place  to  see  what  I  could  pick  up,  and 
found  Case  on  the  doorstep,  cleaning  a  gun. 

"  Good  shooting  here  ?  "  says  I. 

''A  I,"  says  he.  **The  bush  is  full  of  all  kinds  of 
birds.  I  wish  copra  was  as  plenty, "  says  he  —  I  thought, 
slyly —  **but  there  don't  seem  anything  doing." 

1  could  see  Black  Jack  in  the  store,  serving  a  customer. 

*'That  looks  like  business,  though,"  said  I. 

*' That's  the  first  sale  we've  made  in  three  weeks," 
said  he. 

"You  don't  tell  me?  "says  I.  "Three  weeks?  Well, 
well." 

"  If  you  don't  believe  me,"  he  cries,  a  little  hot,  "you 
can  go  and  look  at  the  copra-house.  It's  half  empty  to 
this  blessed  hour." 

"  I  shouldn't  be  much  the  better  for  that,  you  see," 
says  I.  "  For  all  I  can  tell,  it  might  have  been  whole 
empty  yesterday." 

"That's  so,"  says  he,  with  a  bit  of  a  laugh. 

"By  the  by,"  I  said,  "what  sort  of  a  party  is  that 
priest  ?    Seems  rather  a  friendly  sort." 

At  this  Case  laughed  right  out  loud.  "  Ah ! "  says  he, 
"I  see  what  ails  you  now.  Galuchet's  been  at  you." 
Father  Galoshes  was  the  name  he  went  by  most,  but 
Case  always  gave  it  the  French  quirk,  which  was  an- 
other reason  we  had  for  thinking  him  above  the  common. 

"Yes,  I  have  seen  him,"  I  says.  "I  made  out  he 
didn't  think  much  of  your  Captain  Randall." 

* '  That  he  don't ! "  says  Case.  '  *  It  was  the  trouble  about 
poor  Adams.  The  last  day,  when  he  lay  dying,  there 
was  young  Buncombe  round.     Ever  met  Buncombe  ?  " 

264 


THE  BAN 

I  told  him  no. 

"  He's  a  cure,  is  Buncombe!  "  laughs  Case.  /*  Well, 
Buncombe  took  it  in  his  head  that,  as  there  was  no  other 
clergyman  about,  bar  Kanaka  pastors,  we  ought  to  call 
in  Father  Galuchet,  and  have  the  old  man  administered 
and  take  the  sacrament.  It  was  all  the  same  to  me,  you 
may  suppose ;  but  I  said  I  thought  Adams  was  the  fel- 
low to  consult.  He  was  jawing  away  about  watered 
copra  and  a  sight  of  foolery.  'Look  here,'  I  said, 
'  you're  pretty  sick.  Would  you  like  to  see  Galoshes  ?' 
He  sat  right  up  on  his  elbow.  'Get  the  priest,'  says 
he,  'get  the  priest;  don't  let  me  die  here  like  a  dog!' 
He  spoke  kind  of  fierce  and  eager,  but  sensible  enough. 
There  was  nothing  to  say  against  that,  so  we  sent  and 
asked  Galuchet  if  he  would  come.  You  bet  he  would. 
He  jumped  in  his  dirty  linen  at  the  thought  of  it.  But 
we  had  reckoned  without  Papa.  He's  a  hard-shelled 
Baptist,  is  Papa;  no  Papists  need  apply.  And  he  took 
and  locked  the  door.  Buncombe  told  him  he  was  big- 
oted, and  I  thought  he  would  have  had  a  fit.  '  Big- 
oted ! '  he  says.  *  Me  bigoted  ?  Have  I  lived  to  hear  it 
from  a  jackanapes  like  you  ? '  And  he  made  for  Bun- 
combe, and  I  had  to  hold  them  apart;  and  there  was 
Adams  in  the  middle,  gone  luny  again,  and  carrying  on 
about  copra  like  a  born  fool.  It  was  good  as  the  play, 
and  I  was  about  knocked  out  of  time  with  laughing, 
when  all  of  a  sudden  Adams  sat  up,  clapped  his  hands 
to  his  chest,  and  went  into  the  horrors.  He  died  hard, 
did  John  Adams,"  says  Case,  with  a  kind  of  a  sudden 
sternness. 

"And  what  became  of  the  priest .?"  I  asked. 

* '  The  priest }  "  says  Case.  "  Oh !  he  was  hammering 
265 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

on  the  door  outside,  and  crying  on  the  natives  to  come 
and  beat  it  in,  and  singing  out  it  was  a  soul  he  wished  to 
save,  and  that.  He  was  in  a  rare  taking,  was  the  priest. 
But  what  would  you  have  ?  Johnny  had  slipped  his 
cable;  no  more  Johnny  in  the  market;  and  the  adminis- 
tration racket  clean  played  out.  Next  thing,  word  came  to 
Randall  that  the  priest  was  praying  upon  Johnny's  grave. 
Papa  was  pretty  full,  and  got  a  club,  and  lit  out  straight 
for  the  place,  and  there  was  Galoshes  on  his  knees,  and 
a  lot  of  natives  looking  on.  You  wouldn't  think  Papa 
cared  that  much  about  anything,  unless  it  was  liquor; 
but  he  and  the  priest  stuck  to  it  two  hours,  slanging 
each  other  in  native,  and  every  time  Galoshes  tried  to 
kneel  down  Papa  went  for  him  with  the  club.  There 
never  were  such  larks  in  Falesa.  The  end  of  it  was  that 
Captain  Randall  knocked  over  with  some  kind  of  a  fit 
or  stroke^  and  the  priest  got  in  his  goods  after  all.  But  he 
was  the  angriest  priest  you  ever  heard  of,  and  com- 
plained to  the  chiefs  about  the  outrage,  as  he  called  it. 
That  was  no  account,  for  our  chiefs  are  Protestant  here ; 
and,  anyway,  he  had  been  making  trouble  about  the 
drum  for  morning  school,  and  they  were  glad  to  give 
him  a  wipe.  Now  he  swears  old  Randall  gave  Adams 
poison  or  something,  and  when  the  two  meet  they  grin 
at  each  other  like  baboons." 

He  told  this  story  as  natural  as  could  be,  and  like  a 
man  that  enjoyed  the  fun ;  though  now  I  come  to  think 
of  it  after  so  long,  it  seems  rather  a  sickening  yarn. 
However,  Case  never  set  up  to  be  soft,  only  to  be  square 
and  hearty,  and  a  man  all  round;  and,  to  tell  the  truth, 
he  puzzled  me  entirely. 

I  went  home  and  asked  Uma  if  she  were  a  Popey, 
266 


THE   BAN 

which  I  had  made  out  to  be  the  native  word  for  Catho- 
lics. 

''  E  le  at !  "  says  she.  She  always  used  the  native 
when  she  meant  *'no"  more  than  usually  strong,  and, 
indeed,  there's  more  of  it.  "No  good  Popey,"  she 
added. 

Then  I  asked  her  about  Adams  and  the  priest,  and 
she  told  me  much  the  same  yarn  in  her  own  way.  So 
that  I  was  left  not  much  farther  on,  but  inclined,  upon 
the  whole,  to  think  the  bottom  of  the  matter  was  the 
row  about  the  sacrament,  and  the  poisoning  only  talk. 

The  next  day  was  a  Sunday,  when  there  was  no  busi- 
ness to  be  looked  for.  Uma  asked  me  in  the  morning 
if  I  was  going  to  "  pray ; "  I  told  her  she  bet  not,  and 
she  stopped  home  herself,  with  no  more  words.  I 
thought  this  seemed  unlike  a  native,  and  a  native 
woman,  and  a  woman  that  had  new  clothes  to  show 
off;  however,  it  suited  me  to  the  ground,  and  I  made 
the  less  of  it.  The  queer  thing  was  that  I  came  next 
door  to  going  to  church  after  all,  a  thing  I'm  little  likely' 
to  forget.  I  had  turned  out  for  a  stroll,  and  heard  the 
hymn  tune  up.  You  know  how  it  is.  If  you  hear  folk 
singing,  it  seems  to  draw  you ;  and  pretty  soon  I  found 
myself  alongside  the  church.  It  was  a  little,  long,  low 
place,  coral  built,  rounded  off  at  both  ends  like  a  whale- 
boat,  a  big  native  roof  on  the  top  of  it,  windows  with- 
out sashes  and  doorways  without  doors.  I  stuck  my 
head  into  one  of  the  windows,  and  the  sight  was  so 
new  to  me  —  for  things  went  quite  different  in  the 
islands  I  was  acquainted  with  —  that  I  stayed  and  looked 
on.  The  congregation  sat  on  the  floor  on  mats,  the 
women  on  one  side,  the  men  on  the  other,  all  rigged 

267 


THE   BEACH   OF  FALESA 

out  to  kill  —  the  women  with  dresses  and  trade  hats, 
the  men  in  white  jackets  and  shirts.  The  hymn  was 
over;  the  pastor,  a  big  buck  Kanaka,  was  in  the  pulpit, 
preaching  for  his  life ;  and  by  the  way  he  wagged  his 
hand,  and  worked  his  voice,  and  made  his  points,  and 
seemed  to  argue  with  the  folk,  I  made  out  he  was  a 
gun  at  the  business.  Well,  he  looked  up  suddenly  and 
caught  my  eye,  and  I  give  you  my  word  he  staggered 
in  the  pulpit;  his  eyes  bulged  out  of  his  head,  his  hand 
rose  and  pointed  at  me  like  as  if  against  his  will,  and  the 
sermon  stopped  right  there. 

It  isn't  a  fine  thing  to  say  for  yourself,  but  I  ran  away; 
and,  if  the  same  kind  of  a  shock  was  given  me,  I  should 
run  away  again  to-morrow.  To  see  that  palavering 
Kanaka  struck  all  of  a  heap  at  the  mere  sight  of  me 
gave  me  a  feeling  as  if  the  bottom  had  dropped  out  of 
the  world.  I  went  right  home,  and  stayed  there,  and 
said  nothing.  You  might  think  I  would  tell  Uma,  but 
that  was  against  my  system.  You  might  have  thought 
I  would  have  gone  over  and  consulted  Case;  but  the 
truth  was  I  was  ashamed  to  speak  of  such  a  thing,  I 
thought  everyone  would  blurt  out  laughing  in  my  face. 
So  I  held  my  tongue,  and  thought  all  the  more;  and  the 
more  I  thought,  the  less  I  liked  the  business. 

By  Monday  night  I  got  it  clearly  in  my  head  I  must 
be  tabooed.  A  new  store  to  stand  open  two  days  in  a 
village  and  not  a  man  or  woman  come  to  see  the  trade, 
was  past  believing. 

*'Uma,"  said  I,  ''I  think  I'm  tabooed." 

*'  I  think  so,"  said  she. 

I  thought  a  while  whether  I  should  ask  her  more,  but 
it's  a  bad  idea  to  set  natives  up  with  any  notion  of 

268 


THE  BAN 

consulting  them,  so  I  went  to  Case.  It  was  dark,  and 
he  was  sitting  alone,  as  he  did  mostly,  smoking  on  the 
stairs. 

"  Case,"  said  I,  "  here's  a  queer  thing.    I'm  tabooed." 

*'0h,  fudge!  "  says  he;  *'  'tain't  the  practice  in  these 
islands." 

*  *  That  maybe,  or  it  mayn't, "  said  I.  '  *  It's  the  practice 
where  I  was  before.  You  can  bet  I  know  what  it's 
like;  and  I  tell  it  you  for  a  fact,  I'm  tabooed." 

" Well,"  said  he,  "what  have  you  been  doing ? " 

"That's  what  I  want  to  find  out,"  said  I. 

"Oh,  you  can't  be,"  said  he;  "it  ain't  possible. 
However,  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do.  Just  to  put  your 
mind  at  rest,  I'll  go  round  and  find  out  for  sure.  Just 
you  waltz  in  and  talk  to  Papa." 

"Thank  you,"  I  said,  " I'd  rather  stay  right  out  here 
on  the  veranda.     Your  house  is  so  close." 

"  I'll  call  Papa  out  here,  then,"  says  he. 

"My  dear  fellow,"  I  says,  "I  wish  you  wouldn't. 
The  fact  is,  I  don't  take  to  Mr.  Randall." 

Case  laughed,  took  a  lantern  from  the  store,  and  set 
Dut  into  the  village.  He  was  gone  perhaps  a  quarter 
Df  an  hour,  and  he  looked  mighty  serious  when  he  came 
back. 

"Well,"  said  he,  clapping  down  the  lantern  on  the 
veranda  steps,  "  I  would  never  have  believed  it.  I  don't 
know  where  the  impudence  of  these  Kanakas  '11  go  next ; 
they  seem  to  have  lost  all  idea  of  respect  for  whites. 
What  we  want  is  a  man-of-war  —  a  German,  if  we 
could  —  they  know  how  to  manage  Kanakas." 

"  I  am  tabooed,  then  ?"  I  cried. 

"Something  of  the  sort,"  said  he.  "It's  the  worst 
269 


THE   BEACH    OF   FALESA 

thing  of  the  kind  I've  heard  of  yet.  But  I'll  stand  by 
you,  Wiltshire,  man  to  man.  You  come  round  here  to- 
morrow about  nine,  and  we'll  have  it  out  with  the 
chiefs.  They're  afraid  of  me,  or  they  used  to  be;  but 
their  heads  are  so  big  by  now,  I  don't  know  what  to 
think.  Understand  me,  Wiltshire;  I  don't  count  this 
your  quarrel,"  he  went  on,  with  a  great  deal  of  resolu- 
tion, *'  I  count  it  all  of  our  quarrel,  I  count  it  the  White 
Man's  Quarrel,  and  I'll  stand  to  it  through  thick  and  thin, 
and  there's  my  hand  on  it." 

**  Have  you  found  out  what's  the  reason  ?"  I  asked. 

"Not  yet,"  said  Case.  **But  we'll  fire  them  down 
to-morrow." 

Altogether  I  was  pretty  well  pleased  with  his  attitude, 
and  almost  more  the  next  day,  when  we  met  to  go  be- 
fore the  chiefs,  to  see  him  so  stern  and  resolved.  The 
chiefs  awaited  us  in  one  of  their  big  oval  houses,  which 
was  marked  out  to  us  from  a  long  way  off  by  the  crowd 
about  the  eaves,  a  hundred  strong  if  there  was  one  — 
men,  women,  and  children.  Many  of  the  men  were  on 
their  way  to  work  and  wore  green  wreaths,  and  it  put 
me  in  thoughts  of  the  first  of  May  at  home.  This  crowd 
opened  and  buzzed  about  the  pair  of  us  as  we  went  in, 
with  a  sudden  angry  animation.  Five  chiefs  were  there ; 
four  mighty,  stately  men,  the  fifth  old  and  puckered. 
They  sat  on  mats  in  their  white  kilts  and  jackets;  they 
had  fans  in  their  hands,  like  fine  ladies ;  and  two  of  the 
younger  ones  wore  Catholic  medals,  which  gave  me 
matter  of  reflection.  Our  place  was  set,  and  the  mats 
laid  for  us  over  against  these  grandees,  on  the  near 
side  of  the  house;  the  midst  was  empty;  the  crowd, 
close  at  our  backs,  murmured  and  craned  and  jostled  to 

270 


THE  BAN 

look  on,  and  the  shadows  of  them  tossed  in  front  of  us 
on  the  clean  pebbles  of  the  floor.  I  was  just  a  hair  put 
out  by  the  excitement  of  the  commons,  but  the  quiet, 
civil  appearance  of  the  chiefs  reassured  me,  all  the  more 
when  their  spokesman  began  and  made  a  longspeech  in  a 
low  tone  of  voice,  sometimes  waving  his  hand  toward 
Case,  sometimes  toward  me,  and  sometimes  knocking 
with  his  knuckles  on  the  mat.  One  thing  was  clear: 
there  was  no  sign  of  anger  in  the  chiefs. 

** What's  he  been  saying?"  I  asked,  when  he  had 
done. 

**  Oh,  just  that  they're  glad  to  see  you,  and  they  un- 
derstand by  me  you  wish  to  make  some  kind  of  com- 
plaint, and  you're  to  fire  away,  and  they'll  do  the  square 
thing." 

"  It  took  a  precious  long  time  to  say  that,"  said  I. 

"Oh,  the  rest  was  sawder  and  bonjour  and  that," 
said  Case.     "You  know  what  Kanakas  are." 

"Well,  they  don't  get  much  bonjour  out  of  me,"  said 
I.  "You  tell  them  who  I  am.  I'm  a  white  man,  and 
a  British  subject,  and  no  end  of  a  big  chief  at  home;  and 
I've  come  here  to  do  them  good,  and  bring  them  civili- 
sation ;  and  no  sooner  have  I  got  my  trade  sorted  out 
than  they  go  and  taboo  me,  and  no  one  dare  come  near 
my  place!  Tell  them  I  don't  mean  to  fly  in  the  face  of 
anything  legal;  and  if  what  they  want's  a  present,  I'll 
do  what's  fair.  I  don't  blame  any  man  looking  out  for 
himself,  tell  them,  for  that's  human  nature ;  but  if  they 
think  they're  going  to  come  any  of  their  native  ideas 
over  me,  they'll  find  themselves  mistaken.  And  tell 
them  plain  that  I  demand  the  reason  of  this  treatment 
as  a  white  man  and  a  British  subject." 

271 


THE  BEACH   OF   FALESA 

That  was  my  speech.  I  knew  how  to  deal  with  Ka- 
nakas: give  them  plain  sense  and  fair  dealing,  and  —  I'll 
do  them  that  much  justice  —  they  knuckle  under  every 
time.  They  haven't  any  real  government  or  any  real 
law,  that's  what  you've  got  to  knock  into  their  heads; 
and  even  if  they  had,  it  would  be  a  good  joke  if  it  was 
to  apply  to  a  white  man.  It  would  be  a  strange  thing 
if  we  came  all  this  way  and  couldn't  do  what  we 
pleased.  The  mere  idea  has  always  put  my  monkey  up, 
and  I  rapped  my  speech  out  pretty  big.  Then  Case 
translated  it  —  or  made  believe  to,  rather  —  and  the  first 
chief  replied,  and  then  a  second,  and  a  third,  all  in  the 
same  style  —  easy  and  genteel,  but  solemn  underneath. 
Once  a  question  was  put  to  Case,  and  he  answered  it, 
and  all  hands  (both  chiefs  and  commons)  laughed  out 
aloud,  and  looked  at  me.  Last  of  all,  the  puckered  old 
fellow  and  the  big  young  chief  that  spoke  first  started 
in  to  put  Case  through  a  kind  of  catechism.  Sometimes 
I  made  out  that  Case  was  trying  to  fence,  and  they  stuck 
to  him  like  hounds,  and  the  sweat  ran  down  his  face, 
which  was  no  very  pleasant  sight  to  me,  and  at  some  of  his 
answers  the  crowd  moaned  and  murmured,  which  was 
a  worse  hearing.  It's  a  cruel  shame  I  knew  no  native, 
for  (as  I  now  believe)  they  were  asking  Case  about  my 
marriage,  and  he  must  have  had  a  tough  job  of  it  to  clear 
his  feet.  But  leave  Case  alone ;  he  had  the  brains  to  run 
a  parliament. 

"Well,  is  that  all?"  I  asked,  when  a  pause  came. 

"Come  along,"  says  he,  mopping  his  face;  "I'll  tell 
you  outside." 

"Do  you  mean  they  won't  take  the  taboo  off?"  I 
cried. 

373 


THE  BAN 

'*  It's  something  queer,"  said  he.  **  I'll  tell  you  out- 
side.    Better  come  away." 

**I  won't  take  it  at  their  hands,"  cried  I.  "I  ain't 
that  kind  of  a  man.  You  don't  find  me  turn  my  back 
on  a  parcel  of  Kanakas." 

"You'd  better,"  said  Case. 

He  looked  at  me  with  a  signal  in  his  eye;  and  the  five 
chiefs  looked  at  me  civilly  enough,  but  kind  of  pointed; 
and  the  people  looked  at  me  and  craned  and  jostled.  I 
remembered  the  folks  that  watched  my  house,  and  how 
the  pastor  had  jumped  in  his  pulpit  at  the  bare  sight  of 
me;  and  the  whole  business  seemed  so  out  of  the  way 
that  I  rose  and  followed  Case.  The  crowd  opened  again 
to  let  us  through,  but  wider  than  before,  the  children  on 
the  skirts  running  and  singing  out,  and  as  we  two  white 
men  walked  away  they  all  stood  and  watched  us. 

*'And  now,"  said  1,  "what  is  all  this  about?" 

* '  The  truth  is  I  can't  rightly  make  it  out  myself.  They 
have  a  down  on  you,"  says  Case. 

"Taboo  a  man  because  they  have  a  down  on  him!" 
I  cried.     "  I  never  heard  the  like." 

"It's  worse  than  that,  you  see,"  said  Case.  "Yog 
ain't  tabooed —  I  told  you  that  couldn't  be.  The  people 
won't  go  near  you,  Wiltshire,  and  there's  where  it  is." 

"They  won't  go  near  me?  What  do  you  mean  by 
that  ?    Why  won't  they  go  near  me  ?"  I  cried. 

Case  hesitated.  *  *  Seems  they're  frightened, "  says  he, 
in  a  low  voice. 

I  stopped  dead  short.  "Frightened.^"  1  repeated. 
"  Are  you  gone  crazy.  Case  ?  What  are  they  frightened 
of?" 

"I  wish  I  could  make  out,"  Case  answered,  shaking 
273 


THE   BEACH    OF   FALESA 

his  head.  "Appears  like  one  of  their  tomfool  supersti- 
tions. That's  what  I  don't  cotton  to,"  he  said.  "It's 
like  the  business  about  Vigours." 

"I'd  like  to  know  what  you  mean  by  that,  and  I'll 
trouble  you  to  tell  me,"  says  I. 

"Well,  you  know.  Vigours  lit  out  and  left  all  stand- 
ing," said  he.  "It  was  some  superstition  business — • 
I  never  got  the  hang  of  it ;  but  it  began  to  look  bad 
before  the  end." 

"I've  heard  a  different  story  about  that,"  said  I,  "and 
I  had  better  tell  you  so.  I  heard  he  ran  away  because 
of  you." 

"Oh!  well,  I  suppose  he  was  ashamed  to  tell  the 
truth,"  says  Case;  "I  guess  he  thought  it  silly.  And 
it's  a  fact  that  I  packed  him  off.  *What  would  you 
do,  old  man  ?'  says  he.  'Get,'  says  I,  'and  not  think 
twice  about  it'  I  was  the  gladdest  kind  of  man  to  see 
him  clear  away.  It  ain't  my  notion  to  turn  my  back  on 
a  mate  when  he's  in  a  tight  place,  but  there  was  that 
much  trouble  in  the  village  that  I  couldn't  see  where  it 
might  likely  end.  I  was  a  fool  to  be  so  much  about 
with  Vigours.  They  cast  it  up  to  me  to-day.  Didn't 
you  hear  Maea  —  that's  the  young  chief,  the  big  one  — 
ripping  out  about  'Vika?'  That  was  him  they  were 
after.     They  don't  seem  to  forget  it,  somehow." 

"This  is  all  very  well,"  said  I,  "  but  it  don't  tell  me 
what's  wrong;  it  don't  tell  me  what  they're  afraid  of — 
what  their  idea  is." 

"Well,  I  wish  I  knew,"  said  Case.  "I  can't  say 
fairer  than  that." 

"You  might  have  asked,  I  think,"  says  I. 

"And  so  I  did, "  says  he.  ' '  But  you  must  have  seen 
274 


THE  BAN 

for  yourself,  unless  you're  blind,  that  the  asking  got  the 
other  way.  I'll  go  as  far  as  I  dare  for  another  white 
man ;  but  when  I  find  I'm  in  the  scrape  myself,  I  think 
first  of  my  own  bacon.  The  loss  of  me  is  I'm  too 
good-natured.  And  I'll  take  the  freedom  of  telling  you 
you  show  a  queer  kind  of  gratitude  to  a  man  who's  got 
into  all  this  mess  along  of  your  affairs." 

"There's  a  thing  I'm  thinking  of,"  said  I.  '*You 
were  a  fool  to  be  so  much  about  with  Vigours.  One 
comfort,  you  haven't  been  much  about  with  me.  I  no- 
tice you've  nev^»-  been  inside  my  house.  Own  up  now ; 
you  had  word  of  this  before  ?" 

*'It's  a  fact  I  haven't  been,"  said  he.  "It  was  an 
oversight,  and  I  am  sorry  for  it,  Wiltshire.  But  about 
coming  now,  I'll  be  quite  plain." 

"  You  mean  you  won't  ?"  I  asked. 

"Awfully  sorry,  old  man,  but  that's  the  size  of  it," 
says  Case. 

"  In  short,  you're  afraid  ?  "  says  I. 

"In  short,  I'm  afraid,"  says  he. 

"And  I'm  still  to  be  tabooed  for  nothing  ?"  I  asked. 

"I  tell  you  you're  not  tabooed,"  said  he.  "The 
Kanakas  won't  go  near  you,  that's  all.  And  who's  to 
make  'em.  We  traders  have  a  lot  of  gall,  I  must  say; 
we  make  these  poor  Kanakas  take  back  their  laws,  and 
take  up  their  taboos,  and  that,  whenever  it  happens  to 
suit  us.  But  you  don't  mean  to  say  you  expect  a  law 
obliging  people  to  deal  in  your  store  whether  they  want 
to  or  not  ?  You  don't  mean  to  tell  me  you've  got  the 
gall  for  that  ?  And  if  you  had,  it  would  be  a  queer  thing 
to  propose  to  me.  I  would  just  like  to  point  out  to  you, 
Wiltshire,  that  I'm  a  trader  myself" 

275 


THE  BEACH   OF   FALESA 

*'  I  don't  think  I  would  talk  of  gall  if  I  was  you,"  said 
I.  **  Here's  about  what  it  comes  to,  as  well  as  I  can 
make  out:  None  of  the  people  are  to  trade  with  me,  and 
they're  all  to  trade  with  you.  You're  to  have  the  copra, 
and  I'm  to  go  to  the  devil  and  shake  myself.  And  1  don't 
know  any  native,  and  you're  the  only  man  here  worth 
mention  that  speaks  English,  and  you  have  the  gall  to 
up  and  hint  to  me  my  life's  in  danger,  and  all  you've  got 
to  tell  me  is  you  don't  know  why!  " 

"  Well,  it  is  all  I  have  to  tell  you,"  said  he.  *'  I  don't 
know  —  I  wish  I  did." 

*'And  so  you  turn  your  back  and  leave  me  to  myself ! 
Is  that  the  position  ?  "  says  I. 

"If you  like  to  put  it  nasty,"  says  he.  "  I  don't  put 
it  so.  I  say  merely,  *  I'm  going  to  keep  clear  of  you ;  or, 
if  I  don't  I'll  get  in  danger  for  myself.'  " 

'  *  Well, "  says  I,  ' '  you're  a  nice  kind  of  a  white  man !  " 

"  Oh,  I  understand ;  you're  riled,"  said  he.  "I  would 
be  myself.     I  can  make  excuses." 

"All  right,"  I  said,  "go  and  make  excuses  some- 
where else.     Here's  my  way,  there's  yours ! " 

With  that  we  parted,  and  I  went  straight  home,  in  a 
hot  temper,  and  found  Uma  trying  on  a  lot  of  trade 
goods  like  a  baby. 

"  Here,"  I  said,  "  you  quit  that  foolery!  Here's  pretty 
mess  to  have  made,  as  if  1  wasn't  bothered  enough  any- 
way !  And  I  thought  I  told  you  to  get  dinner! " 

And  then  I  believe  I  gave  her  a  bit  of  the  rough 
side  of  my  tongue,  as  she  deserved.  She  stood  up  at 
once,  like  a  sentry  to  his  officer;  for  I  must  say  she 
was  always  well  brought  up,  and  had  a  great  respect 
for  whites. 

276 


THE  BAN 

"And  now,"  says  I,  "you  belong  round  here,  you're 
bound  to  understand  this.  What  am  I  tabooed  for,  any- 
way? Or,  if  I  ain't  tabooed,  what  makes  the  folks 
afraid  of  me?" 

She  stood  and  looked  at  me  with  eyes  like  saucers. 

"  You  no  savvy  ?"  she  gasps  at  last. 

"  No,"  said  1.  "  How  would  you  expect  me  to  ?  We 
don't  have  any  such  craziness  where  I  come  from." 

"  Ese  no  tell  you  ?"  she  asked  again. 

{Ese  was  the  name  the  natives  had  for  Case;  it  may 
mean  foreign,  or  extraordinary;  or  it  might  mean  a 
mummy  apple;  but  most  like  it  was  only  his  own  name 
misheard  and  put  in  a  Kanaka  spelling.) 

"Not  much,"  said  I. 

" D — n  Ese! "  she  cried. 

You  might  think  it  funny  to  hear  this  Kanaka  girl 
come  out  with  a  big  swear.  No  such  thing.  There 
was  no  swearing  in  her —  no,  nor  anger;  she  was  be- 
yond anger,  and  meant  the  word  simple  and  serious. 
She  stood  there  straight  as  she  said  it.  1  cannot  justly 
say  that  1  ever  saw  a  woman  look  like  that  before  or  af- 
ter, and  it  struck  me  mum.  Then  she  made  a  kind  of  an 
obeisance,  but  it  was  the  proudest  kind,  and  threw  her 
hands  out  open. 

"  I  'shamed,"  she  said.  "  I  think  you  savvy.  Ese  he 
tell  me  you  savvy,  he  tell  me  you  no  mind,  tell  me  you 
love  me  too  much.  Taboo  belong  me, "  she  said,  touch- 
ing herself  on  the  bosom,  as  she  had  done  upon  our  wed- 
ding-night. "Now  I  go  'way,  taboo  he  go  'way  too. 
Then  you  get  too  much  copra.  You  like  more  better, 
I  think.  Tofa,  alii, "  says  she  in  the  native  — "  Farewell, 
chief  I " 


THE  BEACH   OF  FALESA 

*'  Hold  on! "  I  cried.     "  Don't  be  in  such  a  hurry." 

She  looked  at  me  sidelong  with  a  smile.  "  You  see, 
you  get  copra,"  she  said,  the  same  as  you  might  offer 
candies  to  a  child. 

**Uma,"  said  I,  "hear  reason.  I  didn't  know,  and 
that's  a  fact;  and  Case  seems  to  have  played  it  pretty 
mean  upon  the  pair  of  us.  But  1  do  know  now,  and  I 
don't  mind;  I  love  you  too  much.  You  no  go  'way, 
you  no  leave  me,  I  too  much  sorry." 

**  You  no  love  me,"  she  cried,  "you  talk  me  bad 
words!"  And  she  threw  herself  in  a  corner  of  the 
floor,  and  began  to  cry. 

Well,  I'm  no  scholar,  but  I  wasn't  born  yesterday,  and 
I  thought  the  worst  of  that  trouble  was  over.  How- 
ever, there  she  lay  —  her  back  turned,  her  face  to  the 
wall  —  and  shook  with  sobbing  like  a  little  child,  so  that 
her  feet  jumped  with  it.  It's  strange  how  it  hits  a  man 
when  he's  in  love;  for  there's  no  use  mincing  things; 
Kanaka  and  all,  I  was  in  love  with  her,  or  just  as  good. 
I  tried  to  take  her  hand,  but  she  would  none  of  that. 
* '  Uma, "  I  said,  * '  there's  no  sense  in  carrying  on  like  this. 
I  want  you  stop  here,  1  want  my  little  wifie,  I  tell  you  true. " 

"  No  tell  me  true,"  she  sobbed. 

"All  right,"  says  I,  "  I'll  wait  till  you're  through  with 
this. "  And  1  sat  right  down  beside  her  on  the  floor,  and 
set  to  smooth  her  hair  with  my  hand.  At  first  she 
wriggled  away  when  1  touched  her;  then  she  seemed 
to  notice  me  no  more;  then  her  sobs  grew  gradually 
less,  and  presently  stopped ;  and  the  next  thing  I  knew, 
she  raised  her  face  to  mine. 

"You  tell  me  true?  You  like  me  stop?"  she 
asked. 

278 


THE  BAN 

"  Uma,"  I  said,  **I  would  rather  have  you  than  all 
the  copra  in  the  South  Seas,"  which  was  a  very  big  ex- 
pression, and  the  strangest  thing  was  that  I  meant  it. 

She  threw  her  arms  about  me,  sprang  close  up,  and 
pressed  her  face  to  mine,  in  the  island  way  of  kissing,  so 
that  I  was  all  wetted  with  her  tears,  and  my  heart  went 
out  to  her  wholly.  I  never  had  anything  so  near  me  as 
this  little  brown  bit  of  a  girl.  Many  things  went  to- 
gether, and  all  helped  to  turn  my  head.  She  was  pretty 
enough  to  eat;  it  seemed  she  was  my  only  friend  in  that 
queer  place ;  I  was  ashamed  that  I  had  spoken  rough  to 
her:  and  she  was  a  woman,  and  my  wife,  and  a  kind 
of  a  baby  besides  that  I  was  sorry  for ;  and  the  salt  of 
her  tears  was  in  my  mouth.  And  I  forgot  Case  and  the 
natives;  and  1  forgot  that  I  knew  nothing  of  the  story, 
or  only  remembered  it  to  banish  the  remembrance;  and 
I  forgot  that  1  was  to  get  no  copra,  and  so  could  make 
no  livelihood;  and  I  forgot  my  employers,  and  the 
strange  kind  of  service  I  was  doing  them,  when  I  pre- 
ferred my  fancy  to  their  business;  and  1  forgot  even 
that  Uma  was  no  true  wife  of  mine,  but  just  a  maid  be- 
guiled, and  that  in  a  pretty  shabby  style.  But  that  is 
to  look  too  far  on.     1  will  come  to  that  part  of  it  next. 

It  was  late  before  we  thought  of  getting  dinner.  The 
stove  was  out,  and  gone  stone  cold;  but  we  fired  up 
after  a  while,  and  cooked  each  a  dish,  helping  and  hin- 
dering each  other,  and  making  a  play  of  it  like  children. 
I  was  so  greedy  of  her  nearness  that  I  sat  down  to  din- 
ner with  my  lass  upon  my  knee,  made  sure  of  her  with 
one  hand,  and  ate  with  the  other.  Ay,  and  more  than 
that.  She  was  the  worst  cook  I  suppose  God  made; 
the  things  she  set  her  hand  to  it  would  have  sickened 

279 


THE  BEACH   OF  FALESA 

an  honest  horse  to  eat  of;  yet  I  made  my  meal  that  day 
on  Uma's  cookery,  and  can  never  call  to  mind  to  have 
been  better  pleased. 

I  didn't  pretend  to  myself,  and  I  didn't  pretend  to  her. 
I  saw  1  was  clean  gone;  and  if  she  was  to  make  a  fool 
of  me,  she  must.  And  I  suppose  it  was  this  that  set 
her  talking,  for  now  she  made  sure  that  we  were  friends. 
A  lot  she  told  me,  sitting  in  my  lap  and  eating  my  dish, 
as  I  ate  hers,  from  foolery  —  a  lot  about  herself  and  her 
mother  and  Case,  all  which  would  be  very  tedious,  and 
fill  sheets  if  I  set  it  down  in  Beach  de  Mar,  but  which  I 
must  give  a  hint  of  in  plain  English,  and  one  thing  about 
myself,  which  had  a  very  big  effect  on  my  concerns,  as 
you  are  soon  to  hear. 

It  seems  she  was  born  in  one  of  the  Line  Islands;  had 
been  only  two  or  three  years  in  these  parts,  where  she 
had  come  with  a  white  man,  who  was  married  to  her 
mother  and  then  died;  and  only  the  one  year  in  Falesa. 
Before  that  they  had  been  a  good  deal  on  the  move, 
trekking  about  after  the  white  man,  who  was  one  of 
those  rolling  stones  that  keep  going  round  after  a  soft 
job.  They  talk  about  looking  for  gold  at  the  end  of  a 
rainbow;  but  if  a  man  wants  an  employment  that'll  last 
him  till  he  dies,  let  him  start  out  on  the  soft-job  hunt. 
There's  meat  and  drink  in  it  too,  and  beer  and  skittles, 
for  you  never  hear  of  them  starving,  and  rarely  see 
them  sober;  and  as  for  steady  sport,  cock-fighting  isn't 
in  the  same  county  with  it.  Anyway,  this  beach- 
comber carried  the  woman  and  her  daughter  all  over 
the  shop,  but  mostly  to  out-of-the-way  islands,  where 
there  were  no  police,  and  he  thought,  perhaps,  the  soft 
job  hung  out.     I've  my  own  view  of  this  old  party; 

280 


THE  BAN 

but  I  was  just  as  glad  he  had  kept  Uma  clear  of  Apia  and 
Papeete  and  these  flash  towns.  At  last  he  struck  Fale- 
alii  on  this  island,  got  some  trade  —  the  Lord  knows 
how  I  —  muddled  it  all  away  in  the  usual  style,  and  died 
worth  next  to  nothing,  bar  a  bit  of  land  at  Falesa  that 
he  had  got  for  a  bad  debt,  which  was  what  put  it  in  the 
minds  of  the  mother  and  daughter  to  come  there  and 
live.  It  seems  Case  encouraged  them  all  he  could,  and 
helped  to  get  their  house  built.  He  was  very  kind  those 
days,  and  gave  Uma  trade,  and  there  is  no  doubt  he  had 
his  eye  on  her  from  the  beginning.  However,  they  had 
scarce  settled,  when  up  turned  a  young  man,  a  native, 
and  wanted  to  marry  her.  He  was  a  small  chief,  and 
had  some  fine  mats  and  old  songs  in  his  family,  and 
was  "very  pretty,"  Uma  said;  and,  altogether,  it  was 
an  extraordinary  match  for  a  penniless  girl  and  an  out- 
islander. 

At  the  first  word  of  this  I  got  downright  sick  with 
jealousy. 

"And  you  mean  to  say  you  would  have  married 
him  ?"  I  cried. 

"  loe,  yes,"  said  she.     " I  like  too  much ! " 

"Well!"  I  said.  "And  suppose  I  had  come  round 
after  .^" 

"  I  like  you  more  better  now,"  said  she.  "  But  sup- 
pose I  marry  loane,  I  one  good  wife.  I  no  common 
Kanaka.     Good  girl! "  says  she. 

Well,  I  had  to  be  pleased  with  that;  but  I  promise 
you  I  didn't  care  about  the  business  one  little  bit.  And 
I  liked  the  end  of  that  yarn  no  better  than  the  begin- 
ning. For  it  seems  this  proposal  of  marriage  was  the 
start  of  all  the  trouble.     It  seems,  before  that,  Uma  and 

281 


THE  BEACH  OF  FALESA 

her  mother  had  been  looked  down  upon,  of  course,  for 
kinless  folk  and  out-islanders,  but  nothing  to  hurt;  and, 
even  when  loane  came  forward,  there  was  less  trouble 
at  first  than  might  have  been  looked  for.  And  then,  all 
of  a  sudden,  about  six  months  before  my  coming,  loane 
backed  out  and  left  that  part  of  the  island,  and  from  that 
day  to  this  Uma  and  her  mother  had  found  themselves 
alone.  None  called  at  their  house  —  none  spoke  to  them 
on  the  roads.  If  they  went  to  church,  the  other  women 
drew  their  mats  away  and  left  them  in  a  clear  place  by 
themselves.  It  was  a  regular  excommunication,  like 
what  you  read  of  in  the  Middle  Ages ;  and  the  cause  or 
sense  of  it  beyond  guessing.  It  was  some  talo  pepelo, 
Uma  said,  some  lie,  some  calumny;  and  all  she  knew 
of  it  was  that  the  girls  who  had  been  jealous  of  her  luck 
with  loane  used  to  twit  her  with  his  desertion,  and  cry 
out,  when  they  met  her  alone  in  the  woods,  that  she 
would  never  be  married.  ''They  tell  me  no  man  he 
marry  me.     He  too  much  'fraid,"  she  said. 

The  only  soul  that  came  about  them  after  this  deser- 
tion was  Master  Case.  Even  he  was  chary  of  showing 
himself,  and  turned  up  mostly  by  night;  and  pretty 
soon  he  began  to  table  his  cards  and  make  up  to  Uma. 
I  was  still  sore  about  loane,  and  when  Case  turned  up 
in  the  same  line  of  business  I  cut  up  downright  rough. 

*'  Well,"  I  said,  sneering,  ''and  I  suppose  you  thought 
Case  '  very  pretty  '  and  '  liked  too  much  '  ?" 

"Now  you  talk  silly,"  said  she.  "White  man,  he 
come  here,  I  marry  him  all-a-same  Kanaka ;  very  well 
then,  he  marry  me  all-e-same  white  woman.  Suppose 
he  no  marry,  he  go  'way,  woman  he  stop.  All-e-same 
thief,  empty  hand,  Tonga-heart  —  no  can  love!    Now 

282 


THE   BAN 

you  come  marry  me.  You  big  heart  —  you  no 'shamed 
island-girl.  That  thing  I  love  you  far  too  much.  I 
proud." 

I  don't  know  that  ever  I  felt  sicker  all  the  days  of 
my  life.  I  laid  down  my  fork,  and  I  put  away  the 
'* island-girl;  "  I  didn't  seem  somehow  to  have  any  use 
for  either,  and  I  went  and  walked  up  and  down  in  the 
house,  and  Uma  followed  me  with  her  eyes,  for  she  was 
troubled,  and  small  wonder !  But  troubled  was  no  word 
for  it  with  me.  I  so  wanted,  and  so  feared,  to  make  a 
clean  breast  of  the  sweep  that  I  had  been. 

And  just  then  there  came  a  sound  of  singing  out  of 
the  sea;  it  sprang  up  suddenly  clear  and  near,  as  the 
boat  turned  the  headland,  and  Uma,  running  to  the 
window,  cried  out  it  was  ''Misi"  come  upon  his 
rounds. 

I  thought  it  was  a  strange  thing  I  should  be  glad  to 
have  a  missionary;  but,  if  it  was  strange,  it  was  still 
true. 

'*Uma,"  said  I,  "you  stop  here  in  this  room,  and 
don't  budge  a  foot  out  of  it  till  I  come  back." 


283 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  MISSIONARY 

As  I  came  out  on  the  veranda,  the  mission-boat  was 
shooting  for  the  mouth  of  the  river.  She  was  a  long 
whale-boat  painted  white ;  a  bit  of  an  awning  astern ;  a 
native  pastor  crouched  on  the  wedge  of  poop,  steering ; 
some  four-and-twenty  paddles  flashing  and  dipping, 
true  to  the  boat-song;  and  the  missionary  under  the 
awning,  in  his  white  clothes,  reading  in  a  book ;  and 
set  him  up!  It  was  pretty  to  see  and  hear;  there's  no 
smarter  sight  in  the  islands  than  a  missionary  boat  with 
a  good  crew  and  a  good  pipe  to  them ;  and  I  consid- 
ered it  for  half  a  minute  with  a  bit  of  envy  perhaps,  and 
then  strolled  down  toward  the  river. 

From  the  opposite  side  there  was  another  man  aim- 
ing for  the  same  place,  but  he  ran  and  got  there  first. 
It  was  Case ;  doubtless  his  idea  was  to  keep  me  apart 
from  the  missionary,  who  might  serve  me  as  interpre- 
ter ;  but  my  mind  was  upon  other  things.  I  was  think- 
ing how  he  had  jockeyed  us  about  the  marriage,  and 
tried  his  hand  on  Uma  before;  and  at  the  sight  of  him 
rage  flew  into  my  nostrils. 

*'Get  out  of  that,  you  low,  swindling  thief!"  I  cried. 

"  What's  that  you  say  ?  "  says  he. 

I  gave  him  the  word  again,  and  rammed  it  down 
284 


THE  MISSIONARY 

with  a  good  oath.  *' And  if  ever  I  catch  you  within 
six  fathoms  of  my  house,"  I  cried,  "I'll  clap  a  bullet  in 
your  measly  carcass." 

**  You  must  do  as  you  like  about  your  house,"  said 
he,  ''where  I  told  you  I  have  no  thought  of  going;  but 
this  is  a  public  place." 

'Mt's  a  place  where  I  have  private  business,"  said  I. 
'*  I  have  no  idea  of  a  hound  like  you  eavesdropping,  and 
I  give  you  notice  to  clear  out." 

"I  don't  take  it,  though,"  says  Case. 

''I'll  show  you  then,  "  said  I. 

"We'll  have  to  see  about  that,"  said  he. 

He  was  quick  with  his  hands,  but  he  had  neither  the 
height  nor  the  weight,  being  a  flimsy  creature  alongside 
a  man  like  me,  and,  besides,  I  was  blazing  to  that  height 
of  wrath  that  I  could  have  bit  into  a  chisel.  I  gave  him 
first  the  one  and  then  the  other,  so  that  I  could  hear  his 
head  rattle  and  crack,  and  he  went  down  straight. 

"Have  you  had  enough.?"  cries  I.  But  he  only 
looked  up  white  and  blank,  and  the  blood  spread  upon 
his  face  like  wine  upon  a  napkin.  "Have  you  had 
enough  ?  "  I  cried  again.  "  Speak  up,  and  don't  lie  ma- 
lingering there,  or  I'll  take  my  feet  to  you." 

He  sat  up  at  that,  and  held  his  head  —  by  the  look  of 
him  you  could  see  it  was  spinning  —  and  the  blood 
poured  on  his  pajamas. 

"  I've  had  enough  for  this  time,"  says  he,  and  he  got 
up  staggering,  and  went  off  by  the  way  that  he  had 
come. 

The  boat  was  close  in ;  I  saw  the  missionary  had  laid 
his  book  to  one  side,  and  1  smiled  to  myself.  "He'll 
know  I'm  a  man,  anyway,"  thinks  I. 

2S5 


THE  BEACH   OF  FALESA 

This  was  the  first  time,  in  all  my  years  in  the  Pacific, 
1  had  ever  exchanged  two  words  with  any  missionary, 
let  alone  asked  one  for  a  favour.  I  didn't  like  the  lot, 
no  trader  does;  they  look  down  upon  us,  and  make  no 
concealment;  and,  besides,  they're  partly  Kanakaized, 
and  suck  up  with  natives  instead  of  with  other  white 
men  like  themselves.  I  had  on  a  rig  of  clean,  striped 
pajamas  —  for,  of  course,  I  had  dressed  decent  to  go 
before  the  chiefs ;  but  when  I  saw  the  missionary  step 
out  of  this  boat  in  the  regular  uniform,  white  duck 
clothes,  pith  helmet,  white  shirt  and  tie,  and  yellow 
boots  to  his  feet,  I  could  have  bunged  stones  at  him.  As 
he  came  nearer,  queering  me  pretty  curious  (because  of 
the  fight,  I  suppose),  I  saw  he  looked  mortal  sick,  for 
the  truth  was  he  had  a  fever  on,  and  had  just  had  a  chill 
in  the  boat. 

**Mr.  Tarleton,  I  believe?"  says  I,  for  I  had  got  his 
name. 

"And  you,  I  suppose,  are  the  new  trader.^"  says  he. 

"I  want  to  tell  you  first  that  I  don't  hold  with  mis- 
sions," I  went  on,  **and  that  I  think  you  and  the  likes 
of  you  do  a  sight  of  harm,  filling  up  the  natives  with 
old  wives'  tales  and  bumptiousness." 

"You  are  perfectly  entitled  to  your  opinions,"  says 
he,  looking  a  bit  ugly,  "but  I  have  no  call  to  hear 
them." 

"  It  so  happens  that  you've  got  to  hear  them,"  I  said. 
"I'm  no  missionary,  nor  missionary  lover;  I'm  no  Ka- 
naka, nor  favourer  of  Kanakas  —  I'm  just  a  trader;  I'm 
just  a  common  low  God-damned  white  man  and  Brit- 
ish subject,  the  sort  you  would  like  to  wipe  your  boots 
on.     I  hope  that's  plain!  " 

286 


THE  MISSIONARY 

"  Yes,  my  man,"  said  he.  '*  It's  more  plain  than  cred- 
itable.    When  you  are  sober,  you'll  be  sorry  for  this." 

He  tried  to  pass  on,  but  I  stopped  him  with  my  hand. 
The  Kanakas  were  beginning  to  growl.  Guess  they 
didn't  like  my  tone,  for  1  spoke  to  that  man  as  free  as  I 
would  to  you. 

**  Now,  you  can't  say  I've  deceived  you, "  said  I,  *'and 
I  can  go  on.  I  want  a  service  —  I  want  two  services, 
in  fact;  and,  if  you  care  to  give  me  them,  I'll  perhaps 
take  more  stock  in  what  you  call  your  Christianity." 

He  was  silent  for  a  moment.  Then  he  smiled.  '*You 
are  rather  a  strange  sort  of  man,"  says  he. 

"I'm  the  sort  of  man  God  made  me,"  says  I.  "I 
don't  set  up  to  be  a  gentleman,"  I  said. 

** I  am  not  quite  so  sure,"  said  he.  ''And  what  can 
I  do  for  you,  Mr. ?  " 

''Wiltshire,"  I  says,  "though  I'm  mostly  called 
Welsher;  but  Wiltshire  is  the  way  it's  spelt,  if  the  peo- 
ple on  the  beach  could  only  get  their  tongues  about  it. 
And  what  do  I  want  ?  Well,  I'll  tell  you  the  first  thing. 
I'm  what  you  call  a  sinner  —  what  I  call  a  sweep  —  and 
I  want  you  to  help  me  make  it  up  to  a  person  I've  de- 
ceived." 

He  turned  and  spoke  to  his  crew  in  the  native.  "And 
now  I  am  at  your  service,"  said  he,  "but  only  for  the 
time  my  crew  are  dining.  I  must  be  much  farther 
down  the  coast  before  night.  I  was  delayed  at  Papa- 
Malulu  till  this  morning,  and  I  have  an  engagement  in 
Falealii  to-morrow  night." 

I  led  the  way  to  my  house  in  silence,  and  rather 
pleased  with  myself  for  the  way  I  had  managed  the 
talk,  for  I  like  a  man  to  keep  his  self-respect. 

287 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

"  I  was  sorry  to  see  you  fighting,"  says  he. 

"Oh,  that's  part  of  the  yarn  I  want  to  tell  you,"  I 
said.  ' '  That's  service  number  two.  After  you've  heard 
it  you'll  let  me  know  whether  you're  sorry  or  not." 

We  walked  right  in  through  the  store,  and  I  was  sur- 
prised to  find  Uma  had  cleared  away  the  dinner  things. 
This  was  so  unlike  her  ways  that  I  saw  she  had  done  it 
out  of  gratitude,  and  liked  her  the  better.  She  and  Mr. 
Tarleton  called  each  other  by  name,  and  he  was  very 
civil  to  her  seemingly.  But  I  thought  little  of  that;  they 
can  always  find  civility  for  a  Kanaka,  it's  us  white  men 
they  lord  it  over.  Besides,  I  didn't  want  much  Tarleton 
just  then.     I  was  going  to  do  my  pitch. 

"Uma,"  said  I,  *' give  us  your  marriage  certificate." 
She  looked  put  out.  "Come,"  said  I,  "you  can  trust 
me.     Hand  it  up." 

She  had  it  about  her  person,  as  usual;  I  believe  she 
thought  it  was  a  pass  to  heaven,  and  if  she  died  with- 
out having  it  handy  she  would  go  to  hell.  I  couldn't 
see  where  she  put  it  the  first  time,  I  couldn't  see  now 
where  she  took  it  from;  it  seemed  to  jump  into  her 
hand  like  that  Blavatsky  business  in  the  papers.  But  it's 
the  same  way  with  all  island  women,  and  I  guess  they're 
taught  it  when  young. 

"Now,"  said  I,  with  the  certificate  in  my  hand,  "I 
was  married  to  this  girl  by  Black  Jack,  the  negro.  The 
certificate  was  wrote  by  Case,  and  it's  a  dandy  piece  of 
literature,  I  promise  you.  Since  then  I've  found  that 
there's  a  kind  of  cry  in  the  place  against  this  wife  of 
mine,  and  so  long  as  I  keep  her  I  cannot  trade.  Now, 
what  would  any  man  do  in  my  place,  if  he  was  a  man  ?" 
I  said.     "The  first  thing  he  would  do  is  this,  I  guess." 

288 


THE   MISSIONARY 

And  I  took  and  tore  up  the  certificate  and  bunged  the 
pieces  on  the  floor. 

''Aue!"^  cried  Uma,  and  began  to  clap  her  hands; 
but  I  caught  one  of  them  in  mine. 

"And  the  second  thing  that  he  would  do,"  said  I, 
*'  if  he  was  what  I  would  call  a  man  and  you  would  call 
a  man,  Mr.  Tarleton,  is  to  bring  the  girl  right  before  you 
or  any  other  missionary,  and  to  up  and  say :  '  I  was 
wrong  married  to  this  wife  of  mine,  but  I  think  a  heap 
of  her,  and  now  I  want  to  be  married  to  her  right'  Fire 
away,  Mr.  Tarleton.  And  I  guess  you'd  better  do  it  in 
native;  it'll  please  the  old  lady,"  I  said,  giving  her  the 
proper  name  of  a  man's  wife  upon  the  spot. 

So  we  had  in  two  of  the  crew  for  to  witness,  and  were 
spliced  in  our  own  house;  and  the  parson  prayed  a  good 
bit,  1  must  say  —  but  not  so  long  as  some  —  and  shook 
hands  with  the  pair  of  us. 

"  Mr.  Wiltshire,"  he  says,  when  he  had  made  out  the 
lines  and  packed  off  the  witnesses,  "I  have  to  thank 
you  for  a  very  lively  pleasure.  I  have  rarely  performed 
the  marriage  ceremony  with  more  grateful  emotions." 

That  was  what  you  would  call  talking.  He  was  going 
on,  besides,  with  more  of  it,  and  I  was  ready  for  as  much 
taffy  as  he  had  in  stock,  for  I  felt  good.  But  Uma  had 
been  taken  up  with  something  half  through  the  mar- 
riage, and  cut  straight  in. 

*'  How  your  hand  he  get  hurt  ?  "  she  asked. 

*' You  ask  Case's  head,  old  lady,"  says  I. 

She  jumped  with  joy,  and  sang  out. 

**You  haven't  made  much  of  a  Christian  of  this  one," 
says  I  to  Mr.  Tarleton. 

lAlas! 
289 


THE   BEACH   OF  FALESA 

'*We  didn't  think  her  one  of  our  worst,"  says  he, 
"when  she  was  at  Fale-alii;  and  if  Uma  bears  malice  I 
shall  be  tempted  to  fancy  she  has  good  cause." 

*' Well,  there  we  are  at  service  number  two,"  said  I. 
**  I  want  to  tell  you  our  yarn,  and  see  if  you  can  let  a 
little  daylight  in." 

'Ms  it  long?"  he  asked. 

' '  Yes, "  I  cried ;  * '  it's  a  goodish  bit  of  a  yarn !  " 

'*  Well,  I'll  give  you  all  the  time  I  can  spare,"  says  he, 
looking  at  his  watch.  ''  But  I  must  tell  you  fairly,  I 
haven't  eaten  since  five  this  morning,  and,  unless  you 
can  let  me  have  something,  I  am  not  likely  to  eat  again 
before  seven  or  eight  to-night." 

'*  By  God,  we'll  give  you  dinner!  "  1  cried. 

I  was  a  little  caught  up  at  my  swearing,  just  when 
all  was  going  straight;  and  so  was  the  missionary,  I 
suppose,  but  he  made  believe  to  look  out  of  the  window, 
and  thanked  us. 

So  we  ran  him  up  a  bit  of  a  meal.  I  was  bound  to 
let  the  old  lady  have  a  hand  in  it,  to  show  off,  so  1  de- 
putized her  to  brew  the  tea.  I  don't  think  I  ever  met 
such  tea  as  she  turned  out.  But  that  was  not  the  worst, 
for  she  got  round  with  the  salt-box,  which  she  consid- 
ered an  extra  European  touch,  and  turned  my  stew  into 
sea-water.  Altogether,  Mr.  Tarleton  had  a  devil  of  a 
dinner  of  it;  but  he  had  plenty  of  entertainment  by  the 
way,  for  all  the  while  that  we  were  cooking,  and  after- 
ward, when  he  was  making  believe  to  eat,  1  kept  post- 
ing him  up  on  Master  Case  and  the  beach  of  Falesa,  and 
he  putting  questions  that  showed  he  was  following  close. 

*'WeIl,"  said  he  at  last,  "  I  am  afraid  you  have  a 
dangerous  enemy.     This  man  Case  is  very  clever  and 

290 


THE  MISSIONARY 

seems  really  wicked.  I  must  tell  you  I  have  had  my 
eye  on  him  for  nearly  a  year,  and  have  rather  had  the 
worst  of  our  encounters.  About  the  time  when  the 
last  representative  of  your  firm  ran  so  suddenly  away,  I 
had  a  letter  from  Namu,  the  native  pastor,  begging  me 
to  come  to  Falesa  at  my  earliest  convenience,  as  his  flock 
were  all  *  adopting  Catholic  practices.'  I  had  great  con- 
fidence in  Namu ;  I  fear  it  only  shows  how  easily  we 
are  deceived.  No  one  could  hear  him  preach  and  not 
be  persuaded  he  was  a  man  of  extraordinary  parts.  All 
our  islanders  easily  acquire  a  kind  of  eloquence,  and  can 
roll  out  and  illustrate,  with  a  great  deal  of  vigor  and 
fancy,  second-hand  sermons;  but  Namu's  sermons  are 
his  own,  and  I  cannot  deny  that  I  have  found  them 
means  of  grace.  Moreover,  he  has  a  keen  curiosity  in 
secular  things,  does  not  fear  work,  is  clever  at  carpen- 
tering, and  has  made  himself  so  much  respected  among 
the  neighboring  pastors  that  we  call  him,  in  a  jest  which 
is  half  serious,  the  Bishop  of  the  East.  In  short,  1  was 
proud  of  the  man ;  all  the  more  puzzled  by  his  letter, 
and  took  an  occasion  to  come  this  way.  The  morning 
before  my  arrival.  Vigours  had  been  sent  on  board  the 
Lion,  and  Namu  was  perfectly  at  his  ease,  apparently 
ashamed  of  his  letter,  and  quite  unwilling  to  explain  it. 
This,  of  course,  I  could  not  allow,  and  he  ended  by 
confessing  that  he  had  been  much  concerned  to  find  his 
people  using  the  sign  of  the  cross,  but  since  he  had 
learned  the  explanation  his  mind  was  satisfied.  For 
Vigours  had  the  Evil  Eye,  a  common  thing  in  a  country 
of  Europe  called  Italy,  where  men  were  often  struck 
dead  by  that  kind  of  devil,  and  it  appeared  the  sign  of 
the  cross  was  a  charm  against  its  power. 

291 


THE   BEACH   OF  FALESA 

"  *  And  I  explain  it,  Misi,'  said  Namu,  '  in  this  way  : 
the  country  in  Europe  is  a  Popey  country,  and  the  devil 
of  the  Evil  Eye  may  be  a  Catholic  devil,  or,  at  least, 
used  to  Catholic  ways.  So  then  I  reasoned  thus :  if  this 
sign  of  the  cross  were  used  in  a  Popey  manner  it  would 
be  sinful,  but  when  it  is  used  only  to  protect  men  from 
a  devil,  which  is  a  thing  harmless  in  itself,  the  sign  too 
must  be  harmless.  For  the  sign  is  neither  good  nor 
bad.  But  if  the  bottle  be  full  of  gin,  the  gin  is  bad;  and 
if  the  sign  made  in  idolatry  be  bad,  so  is  the  idolatry.' 
And,  very  like  a  native  pastor,  he  had  a  text  apposite 
about  the  casting  out  of  devils. 

'''And  who  has  been  telling  you  about  the  Evil 
Eye  ? '    I  asked. 

"He  admitted  it  was  Case.  Now,  I  am  afraid  you 
will  think  me  very  narrow,  Mr.  Wiltshire,  but  I  must 
tell  you  I  was  displeased,  and  cannot  think  a  trader  at 
all  a  good  man  to  advise  or  have  an  influence  upon  my 
pastors.  And,  besides,  there  had  been  some  flying 
talk  in  the  country  of  old  Adams  and  his  being  poi- 
soned, to  which  I  had  paid  no  great  heed;  but  it  came 
back  to  me  at  the  moment. 

"'And  is  this  Case  a  man  of  a  sanctified  life?'  I 
asked. 

"He  admitted  he  was  not;  for,  though  he  did  not 
drink,  he  was  profligate  with  women,  and  had  no 
religion. 

"  'Then,'  said  I,  'I  think  the  less  you  have  to  do 
with  him  the  better.' 

"But  it  is  not  easy  to  have  the  last  word  with  a  man 
like  Namu.  He  was  ready  in  a  moment  with  an  illus- 
tration.    '  Misi,'  said  he,  'you  have  told  me  there  were 

292 


THE  MISSIONARY 

wise  men,  not  pastors,  not  even  holy,  who  knew  many 
things  useful  to  be  taught  —  about  trees,  for  instance, 
and  beasts,  and  to  print  books,  and  about  the  stones 
that  are  burned  to  make  knives  of.  Such  men  teach 
you  in  your  college,  and  you  learn  from  them,  but  take 
care  not  to  learn  to  be  unholy.  Misi,  Case  is  my 
college.' 

"I  knew  not  what  to  say.  Mr.  Vigours  had  evi- 
dently been  driven  out  of  Falesa  by  the  machinations  of 
Case  and  with  something  not  very  unlike  the  collusion 
of  my  pastor.  I  called  to  mind  it  was  Namu  who  had 
reassured  me  about  Adams  and  traced  the  rumour  to 
the  ill-will  of  the  priest.  And  I  saw  I  must  inform  my- 
self more  thoroughly  from  an  impartial  source.  There 
is  an  old  rascal  of  a  chief  here,  Faiaso,  whom  I  daresay 
you  saw  to-day  at  the  council ;  he  has  been  all  his  life 
turbulent  and  shy,  a  great  fomenter  of  rebellions,  and  a 
thorn  in  the  side  of  the  mission  and  the  island.  For  all 
that  he  is  very  shrewd,  and,  except  in  politics  or  about 
his  own  misdemeanours,  a  teller  of  the  truth.  I  went  to 
his  house,  told  him  what  I  had  heard,  and  besought  him 
to  be  frank.  I  do  not  think  I  had  ever  a  more  painful 
interview.  Perhaps  you  will  understand  me,  Mr.  Wilt- 
shire, if  I  tell  you  that  I  am  perfectly  serious  in  these 
old  wives'  tales  with  which  you  reproached  me,  and  as 
anxious  to  do  well  for  these  islands  as  you  can  be  to 
please  and  to  protect  your  pretty  wife.  And  you  are 
to  remember  that  I  thought  Namu  a  paragon,  and  was 
proud  of  the  man  as  one  of  the  first  ripe  fruits  of  the 
mission.  And  now  I  was  informed  that  he  had  fallen 
in  a  sort  of  dependence  upon  Case.  The  beginning  of 
it  was  not  corrupt ;  it  began,  doubtless,  in  fear  and  re- 

293 


THE   BEACH   OF  FALESA 

spect,  produced  by  trickery  and  pretence;  but  I  was 
shocked  to  find  that  another  element  had  been  lately 
added,  that  Namu  helped  himself  in  the  store,  and  was 
believed  to  be  deep  in  Case's  debt.  Whatever  the 
trader  said,  that  Namu  believed  with  trembling.  He 
was  not  alone  in  this;  many  in  the  village  lived  in  a 
similar  subjection ;  but  Namu's  case  was  the  most  in- 
fluential, it  was  through  Namu  that  Case  had  wrought 
most  evil ;  and  with  a  certain  following  among  the  chiefs, 
and  the  pastor  in  his  pocket,  the  man  was  as  good  as 
master  of  the  village.  You  know  something  of  Vig- 
ours and  Adams,  but  perhaps  you  have  never  heard  of 
old  Underbill,  Adams's  predecessor.  He  was  a  quiet, 
mild  old  fellow,  I  remember,  and  we  were  told  he  had 
died  suddenly :  white  men  die  very  suddenly  in  Falesa. 
The  truth,  as  I  now  heard  it,  made  my  blood  run  cold. 
It  seems  he  was  struck  with  a  general  palsy,  all  of  him 
dead  but  one  eye,  which  he  continually  winked.  Word 
was  started  that  the  helpless  old  man  was  now  a  devil, 
and  this  vile  fellow  Case  worked  upon  the  natives'  fears, 
which  he  professed  to  share,  and  pretended  he  durst 
not  go  into  the  house  alone.  At  last  a  grave  was  dug, 
and  the  living  body  buried  at  the  far  end  of  the  village. 
Namu,  my  pastor,  whom  I  had  helped  to  educate,  of- 
fered up  a  prayer  at  the  hateful  scene. 

"  I  felt  myself  in  a  very  difficult  position.  Perhaps  it 
was  my  duty  to  have  denounced  Namu  and  had  him 
deposed.  Perhaps  I  think  so  now,  but  at  the  time  it 
seemed  less  clear.  He  had  a  great  influence,  it  might 
prove  greater  than  mine.  The  natives  are  prone  to  su- 
perstition ;  perhaps  by  stirring  them  up  I  might  but  in- 
grain and  spread  these  dangerous  fancies.     And  Namu 

294 


THE  MISSIONARY 

besides,  apart  from  this  novel  and  accursed  influence, 
was  a  good  pastor,  an  able  man,  and  spiritually  minded. 
Where  should  I  look  for  a  better  ?  How  was  I  to  find  as 
good  ?  At  that  moment,  with  Namu's  failure  fresh  in  my 
view,  the  work  of  my  life  appeared  a  mockery ;  hope  was 
dead  in  me.  I  would  rather  repair  such  tools  as  I  had 
than  go  abroad  in  quest  of  others  that  must  certainly 
prove  worse ;  and  a  scandal  is,  at  the  best,  a  thing  to  be 
avoided  when  humanly  possible.  Right  or  wrong,  then, 
I  determined  on  a  quiet  course.  All  that  night  I  de- 
nounced and  reasoned  with  the  erring  pastor,  twitted 
him  with  his  ignorance  and  want  of  faith,  twitted  him 
with  his  wretched  attitude,  making  clean  the  outside  of 
the  cup  and  platter,  callously  helping  at  a  murder,  child- 
ishly flying  in  excitement  about  a  few  childish,  unnec- 
essary, and  inconvenient  gestures ;  and  long  before  day 
I  had  him  on  his  knees  and  bathed  in  the  tears  of  what 
seemed  a  genuine  repentance.  On  Sunday  I  took  the 
pulpit  in  the  morning,  and  preached  from  First  Kings, 
nineteenth,  on  the  fire,  the  earthquake,  and  the  voice, 
distinguishing  the  true  spiritual  power,  and  referring 
with  such  plainness  as  I  dared  to  recent  events  in  Fale- 
sa.  The  effect  produced  was  great,  and  it  was  much 
increased  when  Namu  rose  in  his  turn  and  confessed 
that  he  had  been  wanting  in  faith  and  conduct,  and  was 
convinced  of  sin.  So  far,  then,  all  was  well ;  but  there 
was  one  unfortunate  circumstance.  It  was  nearing  the 
time  of  our  *  May '  in  the  island,  when  the  native  con- 
tributions to  the  missions  are  received;  it  fell  in  my  duty 
to  make  a  notification  on  the  subject,  and  this  gave  my 
enemy  his  chance,  by  which  he  was  not  ^low  to  profit. 
*'News  of  the  whole  proceedings  must  have  been 
295 


THE  BEACH   OF   FALESA 

carried  to  Case  as  soon  as  church  was  over,  and  the 
same  afternoon  he  made  an  occasion  to  meet  me  in  the 
midst  of  the  village.  He  came  up  with  so  much  in- 
tentness  and  animosity  that  I  felt  it  would  be  damaging 
to  avoid  him. 

**  'So,'  says  he,  in  native,  '  here  is  the  holy  man.  He 
has  been  preaching  against  me,  but  that  was  not  in  his 
heart.  He  has  been  preaching  upon  the  love  of  God; 
but  that  was  not  in  his  heart,  it  was  between  his  teeth. 
Will  you  know  what  was  in  his  heart  ? '  cries  he.  *  I 
will  show  it  to  you ! '  And,  making  a  snatch  at  my  head, 
he  made  believe  to  pluck  out  a  dollar,  and  held  it  in  the 
air. 

"There  went  that  rumour  through  the  crowd  with 
which  Polynesians  receive  a  prodigy.  As  for  myself,  I 
stood  amazed.  The  thing  was  a  common  conjuring 
trick  which  I  have  seen  performed  at  home  a  score  of 
times ;  but  how  was  I  to  convince  the  villagers  of  that  ? 
I  wished  I  had  learned  legerdemain  instead  of  Hebrew, 
that  I  might  have  paid  the  fellow  out  with  his  own  coin. 
But  there  I  was;  I  could  not  stand  there  silent,  and  the 
best  I  could  find  to  say  was  weak. 

"  *  I  will  trouble  you  not  to  lay  hands  on  me  again,' 
said  I. 

*'  'I  have  no  such  thought,'  said  he,  *nor  will  I  de- 
prive you  of  your  dollar.  Here  it  is,'  he  said,  and  flung 
it  at  my  feet.    . I  am  told  it  lay  where  it  fell  three  days." 

"  I  must  say  it  was  well  played,"  said  I. 

**0h!  he  is  clever,"  said  Mr.  Tarleton,  "and  you  can 
now  see  for  yourself  how  dangerous.  He  was  a  party 
to  the  horrid  death  of  the  paralytic ;  he  is  accused  of 
poisoning  Adams;  he  drove  Vigours  out  of  the  place  by 

296 


THE   MISSIONARY 

lies  that  might  have  led  to  murder;  and  there  is  no  ques- 
tion but  he  has  now  made  up  his  mind  to  rid  him- 
self of  you.  How  he  means  to  try  we  have  no  guess ; 
only  be  sure,  it's  something  new.  There  is  no  end  to 
his  readiness  and  invention." 

'*  He  gives  himself  a  sight  of  trouble,"  says  I.  "And 
after  all,  what  for.^" 

*'Why,  how  many  tons  of  copra  may  they  make  in 
this  district.?"  asked  the  m.issionary. 

*M  dare  say  as  much  as  sixty  tons,"  says  1. 

'*And  what  is  the  profit  to  the  local  trader?"  he 
asked. 

*' You  may  call  it  three  pounds,"  said  I. 

**Then  you  can  reckon  for  yourself  how  much  he  does 
it  for,"  said  Mr.  Tarleton.  ''But  the  more  important 
thing  is  to  defeat  him.  It  is  clear  he  spread  some  re- 
port against  Uma,  in  order  to  isolate  and  have  his  wicked 
will  of  her.  Failing  of  that,  and  seeing  a  new  rival  come 
upon  the  scene,  he  used  her  in  a  different  way.  Now, 
the  first  point  to  find  out  is  about  Namu.  Uma,  when 
people  began  to  leave  you  and  your  mother  alone,  what 
did  Namu  do  ?  " 

"Stop  away  all-a-same,"  says  Uma. 

"  1  fear  the  dog  has  returned  to  his  vomit,"  said  Mr. 
Tarleton.  "And  now  what  am  1  to  do  for  you  ?  I  will 
speak  to  Namu,  1  will  warn  him  he  is  observed;  it  will 
be  strange  if  he  allow  anything  to  go  on  amiss  when  he 
is  put  upon  his  guard.  At  the  same  time,  this  precau- 
tion may  fail,  and  then  you  must  turn  elsewhere.  You 
have  two  people  at  hand  to  whom  you  might  apply. 
There  is,  first  of  all,  the  priest,  who  might  protect  you 
by  the  Catholic  interest;  they  are  a  wretchedly  small 

297 


THE   BEACH   OF  FALESA 

body,  but  they  count  two  chiefs.  And  then  there  is  old 
Faiaso.  Ah!  if  it  had  been  some  years  ago  you  would 
have  needed  no  one  else;  but  his  influence  is  much  re- 
duced, it  has  gone  into  Maea's  hands,  and  Maea,  I  fear, 
is  one  of  Case's  jackals.  In  fine,  if  the  worst  comes  to 
the  worst,  you  must  send  up  or  come  yourself  to  Fale- 
alii,  and,  though  I  am  not  due  at  this  end  of  the  island 
for  a  month,  I  will  just  see  what  can  be  done." 

So  Mr.  Tarleton  said  farewell ;  and  half  an  hour  later 
the  crew  were  singing  and  the  paddles  flashing  in  the 
missionary-boat. 


298 


CHAPTER  IV 

DEVIL-WORK 

Near  a  month  went  by  without  much  doing.  The 
same  night  of  our  marriage  Galoshes  called  round,  and 
made  himself  mighty  civil,  and  got  into  a  habit  of  drop- 
ping in  about  dark  and  smoking  his  pipe  with  the  family. 
He  could  talk  to  Uma,  of  course,  and  started  to  teach  me 
native  and  French  at  the  same  time.  He  was  a  kind  old 
buffer,  though  the  dirtiest  you  would  wish  to  see,  and 
he  muddled  me  up  with  foreign  languages  worse  than 
the  Tower  of  Babel. 

That  was  one  employment  we  had,  and  it  made  me 
feel  less  lonesome ;  but  there  was  no  profit  in  the  thing, 
for  though  the  priest  came  and  sat  and  yarned,  none  of 
his  folks  could  be  enticed  into  my  store,  and  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  the  other  occupation  I  struck  out,  there  wouldn't 
have  been  a  pound  of  copra  in  the  house.  This  was  the 
idea:  Fa'avao  (Uma's  mother)  had  a  score  of  bearing- 
trees.  Of  course  we  could  get  no  labour,  being  all  as 
good  as  tabooed,  and  the  two  women  and  I  turned  to 
and  made  copra  with  our  own  hands.  It  was  copra  to 
make  your  mouth  water  when  it  was  done  —  1  never 
understood  how  much  the  natives  cheated  me  till  I  had 
made  that  four  hundred  pounds  of  my  own  hand  —  and 
it  weighed  so  light  I  felt  inclined  to  take  and  water  it 
myself. 

299 


THE  BEACH   OF   FALESA 

When  we  were  at  the  job  a  good  many  Kanakas  used 
to  put  in  the  best  of  the  day  looking  on,  and  once  that 
nigger  turned  up.  He  stood  back  with  the  natives  and 
laughed  and  did  the  big  don  and  the  funny  dog,  till  1 
began  to  get  riled. 

*'  Here,  you  nigger! "  says  i. 

''I  don't  address  myself  to  you,  Sah,"  says  the  nig- 
ger.    "  Only  speak  to  gen'le'um." 

"I  know,"  says  I,  "but  it  happens  I  was  addressing 
myself  to  you,  Mr.  Black  Jack.  And  all  I  want  to  know 
is  just  this :  did  you  see  Case's  figure-head  about  a  week 
ago?" 

"  No,  Sah,"  says  he. 

**That  's  all  right,  then,"  says  I;  "for  I  '11  show  you 
the  own  brother  to  it,  only  black,  in  the  inside  of  about 
two  minutes." 

And  I  began  to  walk  toward  him,  quite  slow,  and 
my  hands  down ;  only  there  was  trouble  in  my  eye,  if 
anybody  took  the  pains  to  look. 

"You're  a  low,  obstropulous  fellow,  Sah,"  says  he. 

"You  bet!"  says  I. 

By  that  time  he  thought  I  was  about  as  near  as  con- 
venient, and  lit  out  so  it  would  have  done  your  heart 
good  to  see  him  travel.  And  that  was  all  I  saw  of  that 
precious  gang  until  what  1  am  about  to  tell  you. 

It  was  one  of  my  chief  employments  these  days  to  go 
pot-hunting  in  the  woods,  which  I  found  (as  Case  had 
told  me)  very  rich  in  game.  I  have  spoken  of  the  cape 
which  shut  up  the  village  and  my  station  from  the  east. 
A  path  went  about  the  end  of  it,  and  led  into  the  next 
bay.  A  strong  wind  blew  here  daily,  and  as  the  line  of 
the  barrier  reef  stopped  at  the  end  of  the  cape,  a  heavy 

300 


DEVIL-WORK 

surf  ran  on  the  shores  of  the  bay.  A  little  cliffy  hill  cut 
the  valley  in  two  parts,  and  stood  close  on  the  beach ; 
and  at  high  water  the  sea  broke  right  on  the  face  of  it, 
so  that  all  passage  was  stopped.  Woody  mountains 
hemmed  the  place  all  round ;  the  barrier  to  the  east  was 
particularly  steep  and  leafy,  the  lower  parts  of  it,  along 
the  sea,  falling  in  sheer  black  cliffs  streaked  with  cinna- 
bar; the  upper  part  lumpy  with  the  tops  of  the  great 
trees.  Some  of  the  trees  were  bright  green,  and  some 
red,  and  the  sand  of  the  beach  as  black  as  your  shoes. 
Many  birds  hovered  round  the  bay,  some  of  them  snow- 
white;  and  the  flying-fox  (or  vampire)  flew  there  in 
broad  daylight,  gnashing  its  teeth. 

For  a  long  while  I  came  as  far  as  this  shooting,  and 
went  no  farther.  There  was  no  sign  of  any  path  be- 
yond, and  the  cocoa-palms  in  the  front  of  the  foot  of 
the  valley  were  the  last  this  way.  For  the  whole  ''eye  " 
of  the  island,  as  natives  call  the  windward  end,  lay 
desert.  From  Falesa  round  about  to  Papa-malulu,  there 
was  neither  house,  nor  man,  nor  planted  fruit-tree;  and 
the  reef  being  mostly  absent,  and  the  shores  bluff,  the 
sea  beat  direct  among  crags,  and  there  was  scarce  a 
landing-place. 

I  should  tell  you  that  after  I  began  to  go  in  the 
woods,  although  no  one  appeared  to  come  near  my 
store,  I  found  people  willing  enough  to  pass  the  time 
of  day  with  me  where  nobody  could  see  them ;  and  as 
I  had  begun  to  pick  up  native,  and  most  of  them  had  a 
word  or  two  of  English,  I  began  to  hold  little  odds  and 
ends  of  conversation,  not  to  much  purpose,  to  be  sure, 
but  they  took  off  the  worst  of  the  feeling,  for  it's  a  mis- 
erable thing  to  be  made  a  leper  of. 

301 


THE  BEACH   OF   FALESA 

It  chanced  one  day,  toward  the  end  of  the  month, 
that  I  was  sitting  in  this  bay  in  the  edge  of  the  bush, 
looking  east,  with  a  Kanaka.  I  had  given  him  a  fill  of 
tobacco,  and  we  were  making  out  to  talk  as  best  we 
could;  indeed,  he  had  more  English  than  most. 

I  asked  him  if  there  was  no  road  going  eastward. 

''One  time  one  road,"  said  he.     **Nowhe  dead." 

''Nobody  he  go  there  ?"  I  asked. 

"No  good,"  said  he.  "Too  much  devil  he  stop 
there." 

"  Oho!  "  says  I,  "  got-um  plenty  devil,  that  bush  ?" 

"Man  devil,  woman  devil;  too  much  devil,"  said 
my  friend.  "  Stop  there  all-e-time.  Man  he  go  there, 
no  come  back." 

I  thought  if  this  fellow  was  so  well  posted  on  devils 
and  spoke  of  them  so  free,  which  is  not  common,  I  had 
better  fish  for  a  little  information  about  myself  and  Uma. 

"You  think  me  one  devil .^"  I  asked. 

"No  think  devil,"  said  he,  soothingly.  "Think  all- 
e-same  fool." 

"  Uma,  she  devil  ?"  I  asked  again. 

' '  No,  no ;  no  devil.  Devil  stop  bush, "  said  the  young 
man. 

I  was  looking  in  front  of  me  across  the  bay,  and  I 
saw  the  hanging  front  of  the  woods  pushed  suddenly 
open,  and  Case,  with  a  gun  in  his  hand,  step  forth  into 
the  sunshine  on  the  black  beach.  He  was  got  up  in 
light  pyjamas,  near  white,  his  gun  sparkled,  he  looked 
mighty  conspicuous ;  and  the  land-crabs  scuttled  from 
all  around  him  to  their  holes. 

"  Hullo,  my  friend!  "  says  I,  "  you  no  talk  all-e-same 
true.     Ese  he  go,  he  come  back." 

302 


DEVIL-WORK 

**Ese  no  all-e-same;  Ese  Tiapolo,"  says  my  friend; 
and,  with  a  ''  Good-by,"  slunk  off  among  the  trees. 

I  watched  Case  all  around  the  beach,  where  the  tide 
was  low;  and  let  him  pass  me  on  the  homeward  way 
to  Falesa.  He  was  in  deep  thought,  and  the  birds 
seemed  to  know  it,  trotting  quite  near  him  on  the 
sand,  or  wheeling  and  calling  in  his  ears.  When  he 
passed  me  I  could  see  by  the  working  of  his  lips  that 
he  was  talking  to  himself,  and  what  pleased  me  might- 
ily, he  had  still  my  trade-mark  on  his  brow.  I  tell  you 
the  plain  truth :  I  had  a  mind  to  give  him  a  gunful  in 
his  ugly  mug,  but  I  thought  better  of  it. 

All  this  time,  and  all  the  time  I  was  following  home, 
I  kept  repeating  that  native  word,  which  I  remembered 
by  **  Polly,  put  the  kettle  on  and  make  us  all  some  tea," 
tea-a-pollo. 

"  Uma,"  says  I,  when  I  got  back,  '*  what  does  Tia^ 
'polo  mean  ?" 

**  Devil,"  says  she. 

''  I  thought  aitu  was  the  word  for  that,"  I  said. 

"'  Aitu  'nother  kind  of  devil,"  said  she;  "  stop  bush, 
eat  Kanaka.  Tiapolo  big  chief  devil,  stop  home;  all-e- 
same  Christian  devil." 

"Well,  then,"  said  I,  "  I'm  no  farther  forward.  How 
can  Case  be  Tiapolo  .^  " 

"No  all-e-same,"  said  she.  "Ese  belong  Tiapolo. 
Tiapolo  too  much  like;  Ese  all-e-same  his  son.  Sup- 
pose Ese  he  wish  something,  Tiapolo  he  make  him." 

"  That's  mighty  convenient  for  Ese,"  says  I.  "  And 
what  kind  of  things  does  he  make  for  him  .?  " 

Well,  out  came  a  rigmarole  of  all  sorts  of  stories, 
many  of  which  (like  the  dollar  he  took  from  Mr.  Tarle- 

303 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

ton's  head)  were  plain  enough  to  me,  but  others  I  could 
make  nothing  of;  and  the  thing  that  most  surprised  the 
Kanakas  was  what  surprised  me  least  —  namely,  that 
he  would  go  in  the  desert  among  all  the  aitus.  Some 
of  the  boldest,  however,  had  accompanied  him,  and  had 
heard  him  speak  with  the  dead  and  give  them  orders, 
and,  safe  in  his  protection,  had  returned  unscathed. 
Some  said  he  had  a  church  there,  where  he  worshipped 
Tiapolo,  and  Tiapolo  appeared  to  him;  others  swore 
that  there  was  no  sorcery  at  all,  that  he  performed  his 
miracles  by  the  power  of  prayer,  and  the  church  was  no 
church,  but  a  prison,  in  which  he  had  confined  a  dan- 
gerous aitu.  Namu  had  been  in  the  bush  with  him 
once,  and  returned  glorifying  God  for  these  wonders. 
Altogether,  I  began  to  have  a  glimmer  of  the  man's  po- 
sition, and  the  means  by  which  he  had  acquired  it,  and, 
though  I  saw  he  was  a  tough  nut  to  crack,  I  was  no- 
ways cast  down. 

"Very  well,"  said  I,  'Til  have  a  look  at  Master  Case's 
place  of  worship  myself,  and  we'll  see  about  the  glori- 
fying." 

At  this  Uma  fell  in  a  terrible  taking;  if  I  went  in  the 
high  bush  I  should  never  return ;  none  could  go  there 
but  by  the  protection  of  Tiapolo. 

"I'll  chance  it  on  God's,"  said  I.  "I'm  a  good  sort 
of  a  fellow,  Uma,  as  fellows  go,  and  I  guess  God'U  con 
me  through." 

She  was  silent  for  a  while.  ' '  I  think, "  said  she,  mighty 
solemn  —  and  then,  presently — "  Victoreea,  he  big 
chief?" 

"You  bet!"  said  I. 

"He  like  you  too  much  ?"  she  asked  again.  I  told 
304 


DEVIL-WORK 

her,  with  a  grin,  I  believed  the  old  lady  was  rather  par- 
tial to  me. 

"  All  right,"  said  she.  '' Victoreea  he  big  chief,  like 
you  too  much.  No  can  help  you  here  in  Falesa;  no 
can  do  —  too  far  off.  Maea  he  be  small  chief — stop 
here.  Suppose  he  like  you  —  make  you  all  right.  All- 
e-same  God  and  Tiapolo.  God  he  big  chief — got  too 
much  work.  Tiapolo  he  small  chief —  he  like  too  much 
make-see,  work  very  hard." 

"  ril  have  to  hand  you  over  to  Mr.  Tarleton,"  said  I. 
'*  Your  theology's  out  of  its  bearings,  Uma." 

However,  we  stuck  to  this  business  all  the  evening, 
and,  with  the  stories  she  told  me  of  the  desert  and  its 
dangers,  she  came  near  frightening  herself  into  a  fit. 
I  don't  remember  half  a  quarter  of  them,  of  course,  for 
I  paid  little  heed ;  but  two  come  back  to  me  kind  of 
clear. 

About  six  miles  up  the  coast  there  is  a  sheltered  cove 
they  call  Fanga-anaana — "the  haven  full  of  caves." 
I've  seen  it  from  the  sea  myself,  as  near  as  I  could  get 
my  boys  to  venture  in ;  and  it's  a  little  strip  of  yellow 
sand,  black  cliffs  overhang  it,  full  of  the  black  mouths 
of  caves;  great  trees  overhang  the  cliffs,  and  dangle- 
down  lianas;  and  in  one  place,  about  the  middle,  a  big 
brook  pours  over  in  a  cascade.  Well,  there  was  a  boat 
going  by  here,  with  six  young  men  of  Falesa,  **all  very 
pretty,"  Uma  said,  which  was  the  loss  of  them.  It  blew 
strong,  there  was  a  heavy  head  sea,  and  by  the  time 
they  opened  Fanga-anaana,  and  saw  the  white  cascade 
and  the  shady  beach,  they  were  all  tired  and  thirsty, 
and  their  water  had  run  out.  One  proposed  to  land 
and  get  a  drink,  and,  being  reckless  fellows,  they  were 

305 


THE  BEACH   OF  FALESA 

all  of  the  same  mind  except  the  youngest.  Lotu  was 
his  name;  he  was  a  very  good  young  gentleman,  and 
very  wise;  and  he  held  out  that  they  were  crazy,  telling 
them  the  place  was  given  over  to  spirits  and  devils  and 
the  dead,  and  there  were  no  living  folk  nearer  than  six 
miles  the  one  way,  and  maybe  twelve  the  other.  But 
they  laughed  at  his  words,  and,  being  five  to  one,  pulled 
in,  beached  the  boat,  and  landed.  It  was  a  wonderful 
pleasant  place,  Lotu  said,  and  the  water  excellent. 
They  walked  round  the  beach,  but  could  see  nowhere 
any  way  to  mount  the  cliffs,  which  made  them  easier 
in  their  mind;  and  at  last  they  sat  down  to  make  a  meal 
on  the  food  they  had  brought  with  them.  They  were 
scarce  set,  when  there  came  out  of  the  mouth  of  one  of 
the  black  caves  six  of  the  most  beautiful  ladies  ever  seen ; 
they  had  flowers  in  their  hair,  and  the  most  beautiful 
breasts,  and  necklaces  of  scarlet  seeds;  and  began  to  jest 
with  these  young  gentlemen,  and  the  young  gentlemen 
to  jest  back  with  them,  all  but  Lotu.  As  for  Lotu,  he 
saw  there  could  be  no  living  woman  in  such  a  place, 
and  ran,  and  flung  himself  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and 
covered  his  face,  and  prayed.  All  the  time  the  business 
lasted  Lotu  made  one  clean  break  of  prayer,  and  that 
was  all  he  knew  of  it,  until  his  friends  came  back,  and 
made  him  sit  up,  and  they  put  to  sea  again  out  of  the 
bay,  which  was  now  quite  desert,  and  no  word  of  the 
six  ladies.  But,  what  frightened  Lotu  most,  not  one 
of  the  five  remembered  anything  of  what  had  passed, 
but  they  were  all  like  drunken  men,  and  sang  and 
laughed  in  the  boat,  and  skylarked.  The  wind  fresh- 
ened and  came  squally,  and  the  sea  rose  extraordinary 
high ;   it  was  such  weather  as  any  man  in  the  islands 

306 


DEVIL-WORK 

would  have  turned  his  back  to  and  fled  home  to  Falesa ; 
but  these  five  were  like  crazy  folk,  and  cracked  on  all 
sail  and  drove  their  boat  into  the  seas.  Lotu  went  to 
the  bailing;  none  of  the  others  thought  to  help  him, 
but  sang  and  skylarked  and  carried  on,  and  spoke  singu- 
lar things  beyond  a  man's  comprehension,  and  laughed 
out  loud  when  they  said  them.  So  the  rest  of  the  day 
Lotu  bailed  for  his  life  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and  was 
all  drenched  with  sweat  and  cold  sea- water;  and  none 
heeded  him.  Against  all  expectation,  they  came  safe 
in  a  dreadful  tempest  to  Papa-malulu,  where  the  palms 
were  singing  out,  and  the  cocoa-nuts  flying  like  cannon- 
balls  about  the  village  green ;  and  the  same  night  the 
five  young  gentlemen  sickened,  and  spoke  never  a  rea- 
sonable word  until  they  died. 

*'  And  do  you  mean  to  tell  me  you  can  swallow  a  yarn 
like  that,"  I  asked. 

She  told  me  the  thing  was  well  known,  and  with 
handsome  young  men  alone  it  was  even  common ;  but 
this  was  the  only  case  where  five  had  been  slain  the 
same  day  and  in  a  company  by  the  love  of  the  women- 
devils  ;  and  it  had  made  a  great  stir  in  the  island,  and  she 
would  be  crazy  if  she  doubted. 

"  Well,  anyway,"  says  I,  "  you  needn't  be  frightened 
about  me.  I've  no  use  for  the  women-devils.  You're 
all  the  women  I  want,  and  all  the  devil  too,  old  lady." 

To  this  she  answered  there  were  other  sorts,  and  she 
had  seen  one  with  her  own  eyes.  She  had  gone  one 
day  alone  to  the  next  bay,  and,  perhaps,  got  too  near  the 
margin  of  the  bad  place.  The  boughs  of  the  high  bush 
overshadowed  her  from  the  cant  of  the  hill,  but  she  herself 
was  outside  on  a  flat  place,  very  stony  and  growing  full  of 

307 


THE  BEACH   OF   FALESA 

young  mummy-apples  four  and  five  feet  high.  It  was  a 
dark  day  in  the  rainy  season,  and  now  there  came  squalls 
that  tore  off  the  leaves  and  sent  them  flying,  and  now  it 
was  all  still  as  in  a  house.  It  was  in  one  of  these  still 
times  that  a  whole  gang  of  birds  and  flying-foxes  came 
pegging  out  of  the  bush  like  creatures  frightened. 
Presently  after  she  heard  a  rustle  nearer  band,  and  saw, 
coming  out  of  the  margin  of  the  treesj  among  the 
mummy-apples,  the  appearance  of  a  lean  gray  old  boar. 
It  seemed  to  think  as  it  came,  like  a  person;  and  all  of  a 
sudden,  as  she  looked  at  it  coming,  she  was  aware  it  wass 
no  boar,  but  a  thing  that  was  a  man  with  a  man's 
thoughts.  At  that  she  ran,  and  the  pig  after  her,  and 
as  the  pig  ran  it  holla'd  aloud,  so  that  the  place  rang 
with  it. 

"  I  wish  I  had  been  there  with  my  gun,"  said  I.  *'\ 
guess  that  pig  would  have  holla'd  so  as  to  surprise  him- 
self" 

But  she  told  me  a  gun  was  of  no  use  with  the  like  of 
these,  which  were  the  spirits  of  the  dead. 

Well,  this  kind  of  talk  put  in  the  evening,  which  was 
the  best  of  it;  but  of  course  it  didn't  change  my  notion, 
and  the  next  day,  with  my  gun  and  a  good  knife,  I  set 
off  upon  a  voyage  of  discovery.  I  made,  as  near  as  I 
could,  for  the  place  where  I  had  seen  Case  come  out;  for 
if  it  was  true  he  had  some  kind  of  establishment  in  the 
bush  I  reckoned  I  should  find  a  path.  The  beginning  of 
the  desert  was  marked  off  by  a  wall,  to  call  it  so,  for  it 
was  more  of  a  long  mound  of  stones.  They  say  it  reaches 
right  across  the  island,  but  how  they  know  it  is  another 
question,  for  I  doubt  if  any  one  has  made  the  journey  in 
a  hundred  years,  the  natives  sticking  chiefly  to  the  sea 

308 


DEVIL-WORK 

and  their  little  colonies  along  the  coast,  and  that  part  be- 
ing mortal  high  and  steep  and  full  of  cliffs.  Up  to  the 
west  side  of  the  wall  the  ground  has  been  cleared,  and 
there  are  cocoa-palms  and  mummy-apples  and  guavas, 
and  lots  of  sensitive.  Just  across,  the  bush  begins  out- 
right; high  bush  at  that,  trees  going  up  like  the  masts  of 
ships,  and  ropes  of  liana  hanging  down  like  a  ship's 
rigging,  and  nasty  orchids  growing  in  the  forks  like 
funguses.  The  ground  where  there  was  no  under- 
wood looked  to  be  a  heap  of  boulders.  I  saw  many 
green  pigeons  which  I  might  have  shot,  only  I  was  there 
with  a  different  idea.  A  number  of  butterflies  flopped  up 
and  down  along  the  ground  like  dead  leaves;  some- 
times I  would  hear  a  bird  calling,  sometimes  the  wiad 
overhead,  and  always  the  sea  along  the  coast. 

But  the  queerness  of  the  place  it's  more  difficult  to  tell 
of,  unless  to  one  who  has  been  alone  in  the  high  bush 
himself.  The  brightest  kind  of  a  day  it  is  always  dim 
down  there.  A  man  can  <:ee  to  the  end  of  nothing; 
whichever  way  he  looks  the  wood  shuts  up,  one  bough 
folding  with  another  like  the  fingers  of  your  hand;  and 
whenever  he  listens  he  hears  always  something  new  — 
men  talking,  children  laughing,  the  strokes  of  an  axe  a 
far  way  ahead  of  him,  and  sometimes  a  sort  of  a  quick, 
stealthy  scurry  near  at  hand  that  makes  him  jump  and 
look  to  his  weapons.  It's  all  very  well  for  him  to  tell 
himself  that  he's  alone,  bar  trees  and  birds;  he  can't 
make  out  to  believe  it;  whichever  way  he  turns  the 
whole  place  seems  to  be  alive  and  looking  on.  Don't 
think  it  was  Uma's  yarns  that  put  me  out;  I  don't  value 
native  talk  a  fourpenny-piece ;  it's  a  thing  that's  natural 
in  the  bush,  and  that's  the  end  of  it. 

309 


THE   BEACH   OF  FALESA 

As  I  got  near  the  top  of  the  hill,  for  the  ground  of  the 
wood  goes  up  in  this  place  steep  as  a  ladder,  the  wind 
began  to  sound  straight  on,  and  the  leaves  to  toss  and 
switch  open  and  let  in  the  sun.  This  suited  me  better; 
it  was  the  same  noise  all  the  time,  and  nothing  to  star- 
tle. Well,  I  had  got  to  a  place  where  there  was  an  un- 
derwood of  what  they  call  wild  cocoanut  —  mighty 
pretty  with  its  scarlet  fruit  —  when  there  came  a  sound 
of  singing  in  the  wind  that  I  thought  I  had  never  heard 
the  like  of.  It  was  all  very  fine  to  tell  myself  it  was  the 
branches ;  I  knew  better.  It  was  all  very  fine  to  tell  my- 
self it  was  a  bird ;  I  knew  never  a  bird  that  sang  like 
that.  It  rose  and  swelled,  and  died  away  and  swelled 
again;  and  now  I  thought  it  was  like  someone  weeping, 
only  prettier;  and  now  I  thought  it  was  like  harps;  and 
there  was  one  thing  I  made  sure  of,  it  was  a  sight 
too  sweet  to  be  wholesome  in  a  place  like  that.  You 
may  laugh  if  you  like;  but  I  declare  I  called  to  mind  the 
six  young  ladies  that  came,  with  their  scarlet  necklaces, 
out  of  the  cave  at  Fanga-anaana,  and  wondered  if  they 
sang  like  that.  We  laugh  at  the  natives  and  their  su- 
perstitions; but  see  how  many  traders  take  them  up, 
splendidly  educated  white  men,  that  have  been  book- 
keepers (some  of  them)  and  clerks  in  the  old  country. 
It's  my  belief  a  superstition  grows  up  in  a  place  like 
the  different  kind  of  weeds;  and  as  I  stood  there  and 
listened  to  that  wailing  I  twittered  in  my  shoes. 

You  may  call  me  a  coward  to  be  frightened ;  I  thought 
myself  brave  enough  to  go  on  ahead.  But  I  went 
mighty  carefully,  with  my  gun  cocked,  spying  all  about 
me  like  a  hunter,  fully  expecting  to  see  a  handsome 
young  woman  sitting  somewhere  in  the  bush,  and  fully 

310 


DEVIL-WORK 

determined  (if  I  did)  to  try  her  with  a  charge  of  duck- 
shot.  And  sure  enough,  I  had  not  gone  far  when  I  met 
with  a  queer  thing.  The  wind  came  on  the  top  of  the 
wood  in  a  strong  puff,  the  leaves  in  front  of  me  burst 
open,  and  I  saw  for  a  second  something  hanging  in  a 
tree.  It  was  gone  in  a  wink,  the  puff  blowing  by  and 
the  leaves  closing.  I  tell  you  the  truth :  I  had  made  up 
my  mind  to  see  an  aitu  ;  and  if  the  thing  had  looked 
like  a  pig  or  a  woman,  it  wouldn't  have  given  me  the 
same  turn.  The  trouble  was  that  it  seemed  kind  of 
square,  and  the  idea  of  a  square  thing  that  was  alive  and 
sang  knocked  me  sick  and  silly.  I  must  have  stood 
quite  a  while ;  and  1  made  pretty  certain  it  was  right  out 
of  the  same  tree  that  the  singing  came.  Then  I  began 
to  come  to  myself  a  bit. 

"Well,"  says  I,  '*if  this  is  really  so,  if  this  is  a  place 
where  there  are  square  things  that  sing,  I'm  gone  up  any- 
way.    Let's  have  my  fun  for  my  money." 

But  I  thought  I  might  as  well  take  the  off-chance  of  a 
prayer  being  any  good;  so  I  plumped  on  my  knees  and 
prayed  out  loud;  and  all  the  time  I  was  praying  the 
strange  sounds  came  out  of  the  tree,  and  went  up  and 
down,  and  changed,  for  all  the  world  like  music,  only 
you  could  see  it  wasn't  human  —  there  was  nothing 
there  that  you  could  whistle. 

As  soon  as  I  had  made  an  end  in  proper  style,  I  laid 
down  my  gun,  stuck  my  knife  between  my  teeth,  walked 
right  up  to  that  tree  and  began  to  climb.  I  tell  you  my 
heart  was  like  ice.  But  presently,  as  I  went  up,  I  caught 
another  glimpse  of  the  thing,  and  that  relieved  me,  for 
I  thought  it  seemed  like  a  box ;  and  when  I  had  got 
right  up  to  it  I  near  fell  out  of  the  tree  with  laughing. 

311 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

A  box  it  was,  sure  enough,  and  a  candle-box  at  that, 
with  the  brand  upon  the  side  of  it;  and  it  had  banjo- 
strings  stretched  so  as  to  sound  when  the  wind  blew. 
I  believe  they  call  the  thing  a  Tyrolean  ^  harp,  whatever 
that  may  mean. 

**  Well,  Mr.  Case,"  said  I,  "you  frightened  me  once, 
but  1  defy  you  to  frighten  me  again,"  I  says,  and  slipped 
down  the  tree,  and  set  out  again  to  find  my  enemy's 
head  office,  which  I  guessed  would  not  be  far  away. 

The  undergrowth  was  thick  in  this  part;  I  couldn't 
see  before  my  nose,  and  must  burst  my  way  through  by 
main  force  and  ply  the  knife  as  I  went,  slicing  the  cords 
of  the  lianas  and  slashing  down  whole  trees  at  a  blow. 
I  call  them  trees  for  the  bigness,  but  in  truth  they  were 
just  big  weeds,  and  sappy  to  cut  through  like  carrot. 
From  all  this  crowd  and  kind  of  vegetation,  I  was  just 
thinking  to  myself,  the  place  might  have  once  been 
cleared,  when  I  came  on  my  nose  over  a  pile  of  stones, 
and  saw  in  a  moment  it  was  some  kind  of  a  work  of 
man.  The  Lord  knows  when  it  was  made  or  when 
deserted,  for  this  part  of  the  island  has  lain  undisturbed 
since  long  before  the  whites  came.  A  few  steps  beyond 
I  hit  into  the  path  1  had  been  always  looking  for.  It 
was  narrow,  but  well  beaten,  and  I  saw  that  Case  had 
plenty  of  disciples.  It  seems,  indeed  it  was,  a  piece  of 
fashionable  boldness  to  venture  up  here  with  the  trader, 
and  a  young  man  scarce  reckoned  himself  grown  till  he 
had  got  his  breech  tatooed,  for  one  thing,  and  seen 
Case's  devils  for  another.  This  is  mighty  like  Kanakas : 
but,  if  you  look  at  it  another  way,  it's  mighty  like  white 
folks  too. 

1  y^olian. 
312 


DEVIL-WORK 

A  bit  along  the  path  I  was  brought  to  a  clear  stand, 
and  had  to  rub  my  eyes.  There  was  a  wall  in  front  of 
me,  the  path  passing  it  by  a  gap;  it  was  tumbledown 
and  plainly  very  old,  but  built  of  big  stones  very  well 
laid ;  and  there  is  no  native  alive  to-day  upon  that  isl- 
and that  could  dream  of  such  a  piece  of  building !  Along 
all  the  top  of  it  was  a  line  of  queer  figures,  idols  or 
scarecrows,  or  what  not.  They  had  carved  and  painted 
faces  ugly  to  view,  their  eyes  and  teeth  were  of  shell, 
their  hair  and  their  bright  clothes  blew  in  the  wind,  and 
some  of  them  worked  with  the  tugging.  There  are 
islands  up  west  where  they  make  these  kind  of  figures 
till  to-day ;  but  if  ever  they  were  made  in  this  island, 
the  practice  and  the  very  recollection  of  it  are  now  long 
forgotten.  And  the  singular  thing  was  that  all  these 
bogies  were  as  fresh  as  toys  out  of  a  shop. 

Then  it  came  in  my  mind  that  Case  had  let  out  to  me 
the  first  day  that  he  was  a  good  forger  of  island  curios- 
ities —  a  thing  by  which  so  many  traders  turn  an  honest 
penny.  And  with  that  I  saw  the  whole  business,  and 
how  this  display  served  the  man  a  double  purpose: 
first  of  all,  to  season  his  curiosities,  and  then  to  frighten 
those  that  came  to  visit  him. 

But  1  should  tell  you  (what  made  the  thing  more  cu- 
rious) that  all  the  time  the  Tyrolean  harps  were  harping 
round  me  in  the  trees,  and  even  while  1  looked,  a  green- 
and-yellow  bird  (that,  I  suppose,  was  building)  began 
to  tear  the  hair  off  the  head  of  one  of  the  figures. 

A  little  farther  on  I  found  the  best  curiosity  of  the 
museum.  The  first  I  saw  of  it  was  a  longish  mound  of 
earth  with  a  twist  to  it.  Digging  off  the  earth  with  my 
hands,  I  found  underneath  tarpaulin  stretched  on  boards, 

3^3 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

SO  that  this  was  plainly  the  roof  of  a  cellar.  It  stood 
right  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  the  entrance  was  on  the 
far  side,  between  two  rocks,  like  the  entrance  to  a  cave. 
1  went  as  far  in  as  the  bend,  and,  looking  round  the  cor- 
ner, saw  a  shining  face.  It  was  big  and  ugly,  like  a 
pantomime  mask,  and  the  brightness  of  it  waxed  and 
dwindled,  and  at  times  it  smoked. 

*'Oho!"  says  I,  "luminous  paint!" 

And  I  must  say  I  rather  admired  the  man's  ingenuity. 
With  a  box  of  tools  and  a  few  mighty  simple  contriv- 
ances he  had  made  out  to  have  a  devil  of  a  temple.  Any 
poor  Kanaka  brought  up  here  in  the  dark,  with  the  harps 
whining  all  round  him,  and  shown  that  smoking  face 
in  the  bottom  of  a  hole,  would  make  no  kind  of  doubt 
but  he  had  seen  and  heard  enough  devils  for  a  lifetime. 
It's  easy  to  find  out  what  Kanakas  think.  Just  go  back 
to  yourself  anyway  around  from  ten  to  fifteen  years  old, 
and  there's  an  average  Kanaka.  There  are  some  pious, 
just  as  there  are  pious  boys ;  and  the  most  of  them,  like 
the  boys  again,  are  middling  honest  and  yet  think  it 
rather  larks  to  steal,  and  are  easy  scared,  and  rather  like 
to  be  so.  I  remember  a  boy  I  was  at  school  with  at 
home  who  played  the  Case  business.  He  didn't  know 
anything,  that  boy;  he  couldn't  do  anything;  he  had  no 
luminous  paint  and  no  Tyrolean  harps;  he  just  boldly 
said  he  was  a  sorcerer,  and  frightened  us  out  of  our 
boots,  and  we  loved  it.  And  then  it  came  in  my  mind 
how  the  master  had  once  flogged  that  boy,  and  the  sur- 
prise we  were  all  in  to  see  the  sorcerer  catch  it  and  hum 
like  anybody  else.  Thinks  I  to  myself:  *'I  must  find 
someway  of  fixing  it  so  for  Master  Case."  And  the  next 
moment  I  had  my  idea. 

314 


DEVIL-WORK 

I  went  back  by  the  path,  which,  when  once  you  had 
found  it,  was  quite  plain  and  easy  walking;  and  when 
I  stepped  out  on  the  black  sands,  who  should  I  see  but 
Master  Case  himself.  I  cocked  my  gun  and  held  it 
handy,  and  we  marched  up  and  passed  without  a  word, 
each  keeping  the  tail  of  his  eye  on  the  other;  and  no 
sooner  had  we  passed  than  we  each  wheeled  round  like 
fellows  drilling,  and  stood  face  to  face.  We  had  each 
taken  the  same  notion  in  his  head,  you  see,  that  the 
other  fellow  might  give  him  the  load  of  his  gun  in  the 
stern. 

"You've  shot  nothing,"  says  Case. 

"  I'm  not  on  the  shoot  to-day,"  said  I. 

"Well,  the  devil  go  with  you  for  me,"  says  he. 

"The  same  to  you,"  says  I. 

But  we  stuck  just  the  way  we  were;  no  fear  of  either 
of  us  moving. 

Case  laughed.  * '  We  can't  stop  here  all  day,  though, " 
said  he. 

"Don't  let  me  detain  you,"  says  I. 

He  laughed  again.  "Look  here,  Wiltshire,  do  you 
think  me  a  fool  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  More  of  a  knave,  if  you  want  to  know,"  says  I. 

"Well,  do  you  think  it  would  better  me  to  shoot 
you  here,  on  this  open  beach?"  said  he.  "Because  I 
don't.  Folks  come  fishing  every  day.  There  may  be 
a  score  of  them  up  the  valley  now,  making  copra;  there 
might  be  half  a  dozen  on  the  hill  behind  you,  after  pi- 
geons; they  might  be  watching  us  this  minute,  and  I 
shouldn't  wonder.  I  give  you  my  word  I  don't  want  to 
shoot  you.  Why  should  I  ?  You  don't  hinder  me  any. 
You  haven't  got  one  pound  of  copra  but  what  you  made 

315 


THE   BEACH   OF  FALESA 

with  your  own  hands,  like  a  negro  slave.  You're  veg- 
etating—  that's  what  I  call  it  —  and  1  don't  care  where 
you  vegetate,  nor  yet  how  long.  Give  me  your  word 
you  don't  mean  to  shoot  me,  and  I'll  give  you  a  lead 
and  walk  away." 

**  Well,"  said  I,  *' you're  frank  and  pleasant,  ain't  you? 
And  I'll  be  the  same.  I  don't  mean  to  shoot  you  to- 
day. Why  should  I?  This  business  is  beginning;  it 
ain't  done  yet,  Mr.  Case.  I've  given  you  one  turn  al- 
ready. I  can  see  the  marks  of  my  knuckles  on  your 
head  to  this  blooming  hour,  and  I've  more  cooking  for 
you.  I'm  not  a  paralee,  like  Underbill.  My  name  ain't 
Adams,  and  it  ain't  Vigours ;  and  I  mean  to  show  you 
that  you've  met  your  match." 

"This  is  a  silly  way  to  talk,"  said  he.  *'This  is  not 
the  talk  to  make  me  move  on  with." 

'*  All  right,"  said  I,  **stay  where  you  are.  I  ain't  in 
any  hurry,  and  you  know  it.  I  can  put  in  a  day  on  this 
beach  and  never  mind.  I  ain't  got  any  copra  to  bother 
with.     I  ain't  got  any  luminous  paint  to  see  to." 

I  was  sorry  I  said  that  last,  but  it  whipped  out  before 
I  knew.  I  could  see  it  took  the  wind  out  of  his  sails, 
and  he  stood  and  stared  at  me  with  his  brow  drawn  up. 
Then  I  suppose  he  made  up  his  mind  he  must  get  to  the 
bottom  of  this. 

"I  take  you  at  your  word,"  says  he,  and  turned  his 
back,  and  walked  right  into  the  devil's  bush. 

I  let  him  go,  of  course,  for  1  had  passed  my  word. 
But  I  watched  him  as  long  as  he  was  in  sight,  and  after 
he  was  gone  lit  out  for  cover  as  lively  as  you  would  want 
to  see,  and  went  the  rest  of  the  way  home  under  the 
bush,  for  I  didn't  trust  him  sixpence  worth.    One  thing 

316 


DEVIL-WORK 

I  saw,  I  had  been  ass  enough  to  give  him  warning,  and 
that  which  I  meant  to  do  I  must  do  at  once. 

You  would  think  I  had  had  about  enough  excitement 
for  one  morning,  but  there  was  another  turn  waiting  me. 
As  soon  as  I  got  far  enough  round  the  cape  to  see  my 
house  I  made  out  there  were  strangers  there;  a  little  far- 
ther, and  no  doubt  about  it.  There  was  a  couple  of 
armed  sentinels  squatting  at  my  door.  I  could  only  sup- 
pose the  trouble  about  Uma  must  have  come  to  a  head, 
and  the  station  been  seized.  For  aught  I  could  think, 
Uma  was  taken  up  already,  and  these  armed  men  were 
waiting  to  do  the  like  with  me. 

However,  as  I  came  nearer,  which  I  did  at  top  speed, 
I  saw  there  was  a  third  native  sitting  on  the  veranda  like 
a  guest,  and  Uma  was  talking  with  him  like  a  hostess. 
Nearer  still  I  made  out  it  was  the  big  young  chief,  Maea, 
and  that  he  was  smiling  away  and  smoking.  And  what 
was  he  smoking  ?  None  of  your  European  cigarettes  fit 
for  a  cat,  not  even  the  genuine  big,  knock-me-down 
native  article  that  a  fellow  can  really  put  in  the  time  with 
if  his  pipe  is  broke  —  but  a  cigar,  and  one  of  my  Mexi- 
cans at  that,  that  I  could  swear  to.  At  sight  of  this  my 
heart  started  beating,  and  I  took  a  wild  hope  in  my  head 
that  the  trouble  was  over,  and  Maea  had  come  round. 

Uma  pointed  me  out  to  him  as  I  came  up,  and  he 
met  me  at  the  head  of  my  own  stairs  like  a  thorough 
gentleman. 

'*Vilivili,"  said  he,  which  was  the  best  they  could 
make  of  my  name,  "  I  pleased." 

There  is  no  doubt  when  an  island  chief  wants  to  be 
civil  he  can  do  it.  I  saw  the  way  things  were  from  the 
word  go.     There  was  no  call  for  Uma  to  say  to  me: 

317 


THE   BEACH   OF  FALESA 

"He  no  'fraid  Ese  now,  come  bring  copra."  I  tell  you 
I  shook  hands  with  that  Kanaka  like  as  if  he  was  the  best 
white  man  in  Europe. 

The  fact  was,  Case  and  he  had  got  after  the  same  girl, 
or  Maea  suspected  it,  and  concluded  to  make  hay  of  the 
trader  on  the  chance.  He  had  dressed  himself  up,  got 
a  couple  of  his  retainers  cleaned  and  armed  to  kind  of 
make  the  thing  more  public,  and,  just  waiting  till  Case 
was  clear  of  the  village,  came  round  to  put  the  whole  of 
his  business  my  way.  He  was  rich  as  well  as  powerful. 
I  suppose  that  man  was  worth  fifty  thousand  nuts  per 
annum.  I  gave  him  the  price  of  the  beach  and  a  quarter 
cent  better,  and  as  for  credit,  I  would  have  advanced 
him  the  inside  of  the  store  and  the  fittings  besides,  I  was 
so  pleased  to  see  him.  I  must  say  he  bought  like  a  gen- 
tleman :  rice  and  tins  and  biscuits  enough  for  a  week's 
feast,  and  stuffs  by  the  bolt.  He  was  agreeable  besides ; 
he  had  plenty  fun  to  him ;  and  we  cracked  jests  together, 
mostly  through  the  interpreter,  because  he  had  mighty 
little  English,  and  my  native  was  still  off  colour.  One 
thing  I  made  out:  he  could  never  really  have  thought 
much  harm  of  Uma ;  he  could  never  have  been  really 
frightened,  and  must  just  have  made  believe  from  dodgi- 
ness,  and  because  he  thought  Case  had  a  strong  pull  in 
the  village  and  could  help  him  on. 

This  set  me  thinking  that  both  he  and  I  were  in  a 
tightish  place.  What  he  had  done  was  to  fly  in  the  face 
of  the  whole  village,  and  the  thing  might  cost  him  his 
authority.  More  than  that,  after  my  talk  with  Case  on 
the  beach,  I  thought  it  might  very  well  cost  me  my  life. 
Case  had  as  good  as  said  he  would  pot  me  if  ever  I  got 
any  copra ;  he  would  come  home  to  find  the  best  busi- 

318 


DEVIL-WORK 

ness  in  the  village  had  changed  hands,  and  the  best  thing 
I  thought  I  could  do  was  to  get  in  first  with  the  potting. 

"See  here,  Uma,"  says  I,  ''tell  him  I'm  sorry  I  made 
him  wait,  but  I  was  up  looking  at  Case's  Tiapolo  store 
in  the  bush." 

*'  He  want  savvy  if  you  no  'fraid  ?"  translated  Uma. 

I  laughed  out.  ''Not  much ! "  says  I.  " Tell  him  the 
place  is  a  blooming  toy-shop!  Tell  him  in  England  we 
give  these  things  to  the  kid  to  play  with." 

"He  want  savvy  if  you  hear  devil  sing ? "  she  asked 
next. 

"  Look  here,"  I  said,  "  I  can't  do  it  now,  because  I've 
got  no  banjo-strings  in  stock;  but  the  next  time  the 
ship  comes  round  I'll  have  one  of  these  same  contrap- 
tions right  here  in  my  veranda,  and  he  can  see  for  him- 
self how  much  devil  there  is  to  it.  Tell  him,  as  soon  as 
I  can  get  the  strings  I'll  make  one  for  his  pickaninnies. 
The  name  of  the  concern  is  a  Tyrolean  harp;  and  you 
can  tell  him  the  name  means  in  English  that  nobody  but 
dam-fools  give  a  cent  for  it." 

This  time  he  was  so  pleased  he  had  to  try  his  English 
again.     * '  You  talk  true  ?  "  says  he. 

"Rather!"  said  I.  "Talk  all-a-same  Bible.  Bring 
out  a  Bible  here,  Uma,  if  you've  got  such  a  thing,  and 
I'll  kiss  it.  Or,  I'll  tell  you  what's  better  still,"  says  I, 
taking  a  header,  "  ask  him  if  he's  afraid  to  go  up  there 
himself  by  day." 

It  appeared  he  wasn't;  he  could  venture  as  far  as  that 
by  day  and  in  company. 

"That's  the  ticket,  then!"  said  I.  "Tell  him  the 
man's  a  fraud  and  the  place  foolishness,  and  if  he'll  go 
up  there  to-morrow  he'll  see  all  that's  left  of  it.     But 

319 


THE  BEACH   OF  FALESA 

tell  him  this,  Uma,  and  mind  he  understands  it:  If  he 
gets  tallying  it's  bound  to  come  to  Case,  and  I'm  a  dead 
man !  I'm  playing  his  game,  tell  him,  and  if  he  says 
one  word  my  blood  will  be  at  his  door  and  be  the  dam- 
nation of  him  here  and  after." 

She  told  him,  and  he  shook  hands  with  me  up  to  the 
hilt,  and,  says  he:  **No  talk.  Go  up  to-mollow.  You 
my  friend  ?  " 

**No,  sir,"  says  I,  '*no  such  foolishness.  I've  come 
here  to  trade,  tell  him,  and  not  to  make  friends.  But, 
as  to  Case,  I'll  send  that  man  to  glory  I " 

So  off  Maea  went,  pretty  well  pleased,  as  I  could  see. 


330 


CHAPTER  V 

NIGHT  IN  THE  BUSH 

Well,  I  was  committed  now  ;  Tiapolo  had  to  be 
smashed  up  before  next  day,  and  my  hands  were  pretty 
full,  not  only  with  preparations,  but  with  argument. 
My  house  was  like  a  mechanics'  debating  society.  Uma 
was  so  made  up  that  I  shouldn't  go  into  the  bush  by 
night,  or  that,  if  I  did,  I  was  never  to  come  back  again. 
You  know  her  style  of  arguing:  you've  had  a  specimen 
about  Queen  Victoria  and  the  devil;  and  I  leave  you  to 
fancy  if  I  was  tired  of  it  before  dark. 

At  last  I  had  a  good  idea.  "What  was  the  use  of 
casting  my  pearls  before  her?"  I  thought;  some  of  her 
own  chopped  hay  would  be  likelier  to  do  the  business. 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  then,"  said  I.  "You  fish  out 
your  Bible,  and  I'll  take  that  up  along  with  me.  That'll 
make  me  right." 

She  swore  a  Bible  was  no  use. 

"  That's  just  your  Kanaka  ignorance,"  said  I.  "  Bring 
the  Bible  out." 

She  brought  it,  and  I  turned  to  the  title-page,  where 
I  thought  there  would  likely  be  some  English,  and  so 
there  was.  "There!  "  said  I.  "  Look  at  that!  '  Lon- 
don: Printed  for  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society^ 
Blackfriars/  and  the  date,  which  I  can't  read,  owing 

321 


THE  BEACH   OF  FALESA 

to  if  s  being  in  these  X's.  Tliere's  no  devil  in  hell  can 
look  near  the  Bible  Society,  Blackfriars.  Why,  you 
silly,"  I  said,  "how  do  you  suppose  we  get  along  with 
our  own  aitm  at  home!     All  Bible  Society!  " 

"I  think  you  no  got  any,"  said  she.  "White  man, 
he  tell  me  you  no  got." 

"Sounds  likely,  don't  it?"  I  asked.  "Why  would 
these  islands  all  be  chock  full  of  them  and  none  in  Eu- 
rope }  " 

"  Well,  you  no  got  bread-fruit,"  said  she. 

I  could  have  torn  my  hair.  "Now,  look  here,  old 
lady,"  said  I,  "you  dry  up,  for  I'm  tired  of  you.  I'll 
take  the  Bible,  which'll  put  me  as  straight  as  the  mail, 
and  that's  the  last  word  I've  got  to  say." 

The  night  fell  extraordinary  dark,  clouds  coming  up 
with  sundown  and  overspreading  all ;  not  a  star  showed ; 
there  was  only  an  end  of  a  moon,  and  that  not  due  be- 
fore the  small  hours.  Round  the  village,  what  with  the 
lights  and  the  fires  in  the  open  houses,  and  the  torches 
of  many  fishers  moving  on  the  reef,  it  kept  as  gay  as  an 
illumination ;  but  the  sea  and  the  mountains  and  woods 
were  all  clean  gone.  I  suppose  it  might  be  eight  o'clock 
when  I  took  the  road,  laden  like  a  donkey.  First  there 
was  that  Bible,  a  book  as  big  as  your  head,  which  I  had 
let  myself  in  for  by  my  own  tomfoolery.  Then  there  was 
my  gun,  and  knife,  and  lantern,  and  patent  matches,  all 
necessary.  And  then  there  was  the  real  plant  of  the 
affair  in  hand,  a  mortal  weight  of  gunpowder,  a  pair  of 
dynamite  fishing-bombs,  and  two  or  three  pieces  of 
slowmatch  that  I  had  hauled  out  of  the  tin  cases  and 
spliced  together  the  best  way  I  could;  for  the  match 
was  only  trade  stuff,  and  a  man  would  be  crazy  that 

322 


NIGHT  IN   THE  BUSH 

trusted  it.  Altogether,  you  see,  I  had  the  materials  of 
a  pretty  good  blow  up!  Expense  was  nothing  to  me; 
I  wanted  that  thing  done  right. 

As  long  as  I  was  in  the  open,  and  had  the  lamp  in 
my  house  to  steer  by,  I  did  well.  But  when  I  got  to 
the  path,  it  fell  so  dark  I  could  make  no  headway, 
walking  into  trees  and  swearing  there,  like  a  man  look- 
ing for  the  matches  in  his  bed-room.  I  knew  it  was 
risky  to  light  up,  for  my  lantern  would  be  visible  all  the 
way  to  the  point  of  the  cape,  and  as  no  one  went  there 
after  dark,  it  would  be  talked  about,  and  come  to  Case's 
ears.  But  what  was  I  to  do  ?  I  had  either  to  give 
the  business  over  and  lose  caste  with  Maea,  or  light  up, 
take  my  chance,  and  get  through  the  thing  the  smartest 
I  was  able. 

As  long  as  I  was  on  the  path  I  walked  hard,  but  when 
I  came  to  the  black  beach  I  had  to  run.  For  the  tide 
was  now  nearly  flowed ;  and  to  get  through  with  my 
powder  dry  between  the  surf  and  the  steep  hill,  took  all 
the  quickness  I  possessed.  As  it  was,  even  the  wash 
caught  me  to  the  knees,  and  I  came  near  falling  on  a 
stone.  All  this  time  the  hurry  I  was  in,  and  the  free 
air  and  smell  of  the  sea,  kept  my  spirits  lively;  but 
when  I  was  once  in  the  bush  and  began  to  climb  the 
path  I  took  it  easier.  The  fearsomeness  of  the  wood 
had  been  a  good  bit  rubbed  off  for  me  by  Master  Case's 
banjo-strings  and  graven  images,  yet  I  thought  it  was  a 
dreary  walk,  and  guessed,  when  the  disciples  went  up 
there,  they  must  be  badly  scared.  The  light  of  the 
lantern,  striking  among  all  these  trunks  and  forked 
branches  and  twisted  rope-ends  of  lianas,  made  the 
whole  place,  or  all  that  you  could  see  of  it,  a  kind  of  a 

32> 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

puzzle  of  turning  shadows.  They  came  to  meet  you, 
solid  and  quick  like  giants,  and  then  spun  off  and  van- 
ished; they  hove  up  over  your  head  like  clubs,  and  flew 
away  into  the  night  like  birds.  The  floor  of  the  bush 
glimmered  with  dead  wood,  the  way  the  match-box 
used  to  shine  after  you  had  struck  a  lucifer.  Big,  cold 
drops  fell  on  me  from  the  branches  overhead  like  sweat. 
There  was  no  wind  to  mention ;  only  a  little  icy  breath 
of  a  land  breeze  that  stirred  nothing;  and  the  harps 
were  silent. 

The  first  landfall  I  made  was  when  I  got  through  the 
bush  of  wild  cocoanuts,  and  came  in  view  of  the  bogies 
on  the  wall.  Mighty  queer  they  looked  by  the  shining 
of  the  lantern,  with  their  painted  faces  and  shell  eyes, 
and  their  clothes,  and  their  hair  hanging.  One  after 
another  I  pulled  them  all  up  and  piled  them  in  a  bundle 
on  the  cellar  roof,  so  as  they  might  go  to  glory  with  the 
rest.  Then  I  chose  a  place  behind  one  of  the  big  stones 
at  the  entrance,  buried  my  powder  and  the  two  shells, 
and  arranged  my  match  along  the  passage.  And  then 
I  had  a  look  at  the  smoking  head,  just  for  good-by.  It 
was  doing  fine. 

**  Cheer  up,"  says  I.  ''  You're  booked." 
It  was  my  first  idea  to  light  up  and  be  getting  home- 
ward; for  the  darkness  and  the  glimmer  of  the  dead 
wood  and  the  shadows  of  the  lantern  made  me  lonely. 
But  I  knew  where  one  of  the  harps  hung;  it  seemed  a 
pity  it  shouldn't  go  with  the  rest;  and  at  the  same  time 
I  couldn't  help  letting  on  to  myself  that  I  was  mortal 
tired  of  my  employment,  and  would  like  best  to  be  at 
home  and  have  the  door  shut.  I  stepped  out  of  the 
cellar  and  argued  it  fore  and  back.     There  was  a  sound 

324 


NIGHT  IN   THE   BUSH 

of  the  sea  far  down  below  me  on  the  coast;  nearer  hand 
not  a  leaf  stirred;  I  might  have  been  the  only  living 
creature  this  side  of  Cape  Horn.  Well,  as  I  stood 
there  thinking,  it  seemed  the  bush  woke  and  became 
full  of  little  noises.  Little  noises  they  were,  and  noth- 
ing to  hurt;  a  bit  of  a  crackle,  a  bit  of  a  rush;  but  the 
breath  jumped  right  out  of  me  and  my  throat  went  as 
dry  as  a  biscuit.  It  wasn't  Case  I  was  afraid  of,  which 
would  have  been  common-sense;  I  never  thought  of 
Case ;  what  took  me,  as  sharp  as  the  colic,  was  the  old 
wives'  tales  —  the  devil-women  and  the  man-pigs.  It 
was  the  toss  of  a  penny  whether  I  should  run ;  but  I  got 
a  purchase  on  myself,  and  stepped  out,  and  held  up  the 
lantern  (like  a  fool)  and  looked  all  round. 

In  the  direction  of  the  village  and  the  path  there  was 
nothing  to  be  seen;  but  when  I  turned  inland  it's  a 
wonder  to  me  I  didn't  drop.  There,  coming  right  up 
out  of  the  desert  and  the  bad  bush  —  there,  sure  enough, 
was  a  devil-woman,  just  as  the  way  I  had  figured  she 
would  look.  I  saw  the  light  shine  on  her  bare  arms 
and  her  bright  eyes,  and  there  went  out  of  me  a  yell  so 
big  that  I  thought  it  was  my  death. 

"Ah!  No  sing  out!"  says  the  devil-woman,  in  a 
kind  of  a  high  whisper.  "Why  you  talk  big  voice? 
Put  out  light!     Ese  he  come." 

"My  God  Almighty,  Uma,  is  that  you.^"  says  I. 

*'  he, ' '  ^  says  she.    '  *  I  come  quick.    Ese  here  soon. " 

"  You  come  along .?"  I  asked.     "You  no  'fraid  }  " 

"Ah,  too  much  'fraid!"  she  whispered,  clutching 
me.     "I  think  die." 

"Well,  "says  I,  with  a  kind  of  a  weak  grin.    "I'm  not 

lYes. 

325 


THE  BEACH   OF  FALESA 

the  one  to  laugh  at  you,  Mrs.  Wiltshire,  for  I'm  about 
the  worst  scared  man  in  the  South  Pacific  myself" 

She  told  me  in  two  words  what  brought  her.  I  was 
scarce  gone,  it  seems,  when  Faavao  came  in,  and  the 
old  woman  had  met  Black  Jack  running  as  hard  as  he 
was  fit  from  our  house  to  Case's.  Uma  neither  spoke 
nor  stopped,  but  lit  right  out  to  come  and  warn  me. 
She  was  so  close  at  my  heels  that  the  lantern  was  her 
guide  across  the  beach,  and  afterward,  by  the  glimmer 
of  it  in  the  trees,  she  got  her  line  up  hill.  It  was  only 
when  I  had  got  to  the  top  or  was  in  the  cellar  that  she 
wandered — Lord  knows  where!  —  and  lost  a  sight  of 
precious  time,  afraid  to  call  out  lest  Case  was  at  the  heels 
of  her,  and  falling  in  the  bush,  so  that  she  was  all  knocked 
and  bruised.  That  must  have  been  when  she  got  too 
far  to  the  southward,  and  how  she  came  to  take  me  in 
the  flank  at  last  and  frighten  me  beyond  what  I've  got 
the  words  to  tell  of 

Well,  anything  was  better  than  a  devil-woman,  but 
I  thought  her  yarn  serious  enough.  Black  Jack  had  no 
call  to  be  about  my  house,  unless  he  was  set  there  to 
watch ;  and  it  looked  to  me  as  if  my  tomfool  word  about 
the  paint,  and  perhaps  some  chatter  of  Maea's,  had  got 
us  all  in  a  clove  hitch.  One  thing  was  clear:  Uma  and 
I  were  here  for  the  night;  we  daren't  try  to  go  home 
before  day,  and  even  then  it  would  be  safer  to  strike 
round  up  the  mountain  and  come  in  by  the  back  of  the 
village,  or  we  might  walk  into  an  ambuscade.  It  was 
plain,  too,  that  the  mine  should  be  sprung  immediately, 
or  Case  might  be  in  time  to  stop  it. 

I  marched  into  the  tunnel,  Uma  keeping  tight  hold 
of  me,  opened  my  lantern  and  lit  the  match.    The  first 

326 


NIGHT   IN   THE   BUSH 

length  of  it  burned  like  a  spill  of  paper,  and  I  stood 
stupid,  watching  it  burn,  and  thinking  we  were  going 
aloft  with  Tiapolo,  which  was  none  of  my  views.  The 
second  took  to  a  better  rate,  though  faster  than  I  cared 
about ;  and  at  that  I  got  my  wits  again,  hauled  Uma  clear 
of  the  passage,  blew  out  and  dropped  the  lantern,  and 
the  pair  of  us  groped  our  way  into  the  bush  until  I 
thought  it  might  be  safe,  and  lay  down  together  by  a 
tree. 

' '  Old  lady, "  I  said,  ' '  I  wont  forget  this  night.  You're 
a  trump,  and  that's  what's  wrong  with  you." 

She  bumped  herself  close  up  to  me.  She  had  run  out 
the  way  she  was,  with  nothing  on  her  but  her  kilt;  and 
she  was  all  wet  with  the  dews  and  the  sea  on  the  black 
beach,  and  shook  straight  on  with  cold  and  the  terror  of 
the  dark  and  the  devils. 

"Too  much  'fraid,"  was  all  she  said. 

The  far  side  of  Case's  hill  goes  down  near  as  steep  as 
a  precipice  into  the  next  valley.  We  were  on  the  very 
edge  of  it,  and  I  could  see  the  dead  wood  shine  and  hear 
the  sea  sound  far  below.  I  didn't  care  about  the  position, 
which  left  me  no  retreat,  but  I  was  afraid  to  change. 
Then  1  saw  I  had  made  a  worse  mistake  about  the  lan- 
tern, which  I  should  have  left  lighted,  so  that  I  could 
have  had  a  crack  at  Case  when  he  stepped  into  the  shine 
of  it.  And  since  I  hadn't  had  the  wit  to  do  that,  it 
seemed  a  senseless  thing  to  leave  the  good  lantern  to 
blow  up  with  the  graven  images.  The  thing  belonged 
to  me,  after  all,  and  was  worth  money,  and  might  come 
in  handy.  If  I  could  have  trusted  the  match,  I  might 
have  run  in  still  and  rescued  it.  But  who  was  going  to 
trust  to  the  match  ?    You  know  what  trade  is.     The 

327 


THE  BEACH   OF   FALESA 

stuff  was  good  enough  for  Kanakas  to  go  fishing  with, 
where  they've  got  to  look  lively  anyway,  and  the  most 
they  risk  is  only  to  have  their  hand  blown  off.  But  for 
anyone  that  wanted  to  fool  around  a  blow-up  like  mine 
that  match  was  rubbish. 

Altogether  the  best  I  could  do  was  to  lie  still,  see  my 
shot-gun  handy,  and  wait  for  the  explosion.  But  it  was 
a  solemn  kind  of  a  business.  The  blackness  of  the  night 
was  like  solid;  the  only  thing  you  could  see  was  the 
nastybogy  glimmer  of  the  dead  wood,  and  that  showed 
you  nothing  but  itself;  and  as  for  sounds,  I  stretched  my 
ears  till  I  thought  I  could  have  heard  the  match  burn  in 
the  tunnel,  and  that  bush  was  as  silent  as  a  coffm. 
Now  and  then  there  was  a  bit  of  a  crack;  but  whether 
it  was  near  or  far,  whether  it  was  Case  stubbing  his  toes 
within  a  few  yards  of  me,  or  a  tree  breaking  miles  away, 
I  knew  no  more  than  the  babe  unborn. 

And  then,  all  of  a  sudden,  Vesuvius  went  off.  It  was 
a  long  time  coming;  but  when  it  came  (though  I  say  it 
that  shouldn't)  no  man  could  ask  to  see  a  better.  At 
first  it  was  just  a  son  of  a  gun  of  a  row,  and  a  spout  of 
fire,  and  the  wood  lighted  up  so  that  you  could  see  to 
read.  And  then  the  trouble  began.  Uma  and  I  were 
half  buried  under  a  wagonful  of  earth,  and  glad  it  was 
no  worse,  for  one  of  the  rocks  at  the  entrance  of  the  tun- 
nel was  fired  clean  into  the  air,  fell  within  a  couple  of 
fathoms  of  where  we  lay,  and  bounded  over  the  edge  of 
the  hill,  and  went  pounding  down  into  the  next  valley. 
I  saw  I  had  rather  under-calculated  our  distance,  or  over- 
done the  dynamite  and  powder,  which  you  please. 

And  presently  I  saw  I  had  made  another  slip.  The 
noise  of  the  thing  began  to  die  off,  shaking  the  island; 

328 


NIGHT   IN   THE   BUSH 

the  dazzle  was  over;  and  yet  the  night  didn't  come  back 
the  way  I  expected.  For  the  whole  wood  was  scattered 
with  red  coals  and  brands  from  the  explosion ;  they  were 
all  round  me  on  the  flat,  some  had  fallen  below  in  the 
valley,  and  some  stuck  and  flared  in  the  tree-tops.  I 
had  no  fear  of  fire,  for  these  forests  are  too  wet  to  kindle. 
But  the  trouble  was  that  the  place  was  all  lit  up  —  not 
very  bright,  but  good  enough  to  get  a  shot  by ;  and  the 
way  the  coals  were  scattered,  it  was  just  as  likely  Case 
might  have  the  advantage  as  myself  I  looked  all  round 
for  his  white  face,  you  may  be  sure;  but  there  was  not 
a  sign  of  him.  As  for  Uma,  the  life  seemed  to  have 
been  knocked  right  out  of  her  by  the  bang  and  blaze 
of  it. 

There  was  one  bad  point  in  my  game.  One  of  the 
blessed  graven  images  had  come  down  all  afire,  hair  and 
clothes  and  body,  not  four  yards  away  from  me.  I  cast 
a  mighty  noticing  glance  all  round ;  there  was  still  no 
Case,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  I  must  get  rid  of  that 
burning  stick  before  he  came,  or  I  should  be  shot  there 
like  a  dog. 

It  was  my  first  idea  to  have  crawled,  and  then  I 
thought  speed  was  the  main  thing,  and  stood  half  up  to 
make  a  rush.  The  same  moment,  from  somewhere  be- 
tween me  and  the  sea,  there  came  a  flash  and  a  report, 
and  a  rifle-bullet  screeched  in  my  ear.  1  swung  straight 
round  and  up  with  my  gun,  but  the  brute  had  a  Win- 
chester, and  before  I  could  as  much  as  see  him  his  second 
shot  knocked  me  over  like  a  ninepin.  I  seemed  to  fly 
in  the  air,  then  came  down  by  the  run  and  lay  half  a 
minute,  silly ;  and  then  I  found  my  hands  empty,  and  my 
gun  had  flown  over  my  head  as  I  fell.    It  makes  a  man 

329 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

mighty  wide  awake  to  be  in  the  kind  of  box  that  I  was 
in.  I  scarcely  knew  where  I  was  hurt,  or  whether  I  was 
hurt  or  not,  but  turned  right  over  on  my  face  to  crawl 
after  my  weapon.  Unless  you  have  tried  to  get  about 
with  a  smashed  leg  you  don't  know  what  pain  is,  and 
I  let  out  a  howl  like  a  bullock's. 

This  was  the  unluckiest  noise  that  ever  I  made  in  my 
life.  Up  to  then  Uma  had  stuck  to  her  tree  like  a  sen- 
sible woman,  knowing  she  would  be  only  in  the  way ; 
but  as  soon  as  she  heard  me  sing  out  she  ran  forward. 
The  Winchester  cracked  again,  and  down  she  went. 

I  had  sat  up,  leg  and  all,  to  stop  her;  but  when  I  saw 
her  tumble  I  clapped  down  again  where  I  was,  lay  still, 
and  felt  the  handle  of  my  knife.  I  had  been  scurried  and 
put  out  before.  No  more  of  that  for  me.  He  had  knocked 
over  my  girl,  I  had  got  to  fix  him  for  it;  and  I  lay  there 
and  gritted  my  teeth,  and  footed  up  the  chances.  My 
leg  was  broke,  my  gun  was  gone.  Case  had  still  ten 
shots  in  his  Winchester.  It  looked  a  kind  of  hopeless 
business.  But  1  never  despaired  nor  thought  upon  des« 
pairing:  that  man  had  got  to  go. 

For  a  goodish  bit  not  one  of  us  let  on.  Then  I  heard 
Case  begin  to  move  nearer  in  the  bush,  but  mighty  care- 
ful. The  image  had  burned  out,  there  were  only  a  few 
coals  left  here  and  there,  and  the  wood  was  main  dark, 
but  had  a  kind  of  a  low  glow  in  it  like  a  fire  on  its  last 
legs.  It  was  by  this  that  1  made  out  Case's  head  look- 
ing at  me  over  a  big  tuft  of  ferns,  and  at  the  same  time 
the  brute  saw  me  and  shouldered  his  Winchester.  I  lay 
quite  still,  and  as  good  as  looked  into  the  barrel :  it  was 
my  last  chance,  but  I  thought  my  heart  would  have  come 
right  out  of  its  bearings.    Then  he  fired.    Lucky  for  me 

330 


NIGHT  IN  THE  BUSH 

it  was  no  shot-gun,  for  the  bullet  struck  within  an  inch 
of  me  and  knocked  the  dirt  in  my  eyes. 

Just  you  try  and  see  if  you  can  lie  quiet,  and  let  a  man 
take  a  sitting  shot  at  you  and  miss  you  by  a  hair.  But 
I  did,  and  lucky,  too.  A  while  Case  stood  with  the 
Winchester  at  the  port-arms ;  then  he  gave  a  little  laugh 
to  himself  and  stepped  round  the  ferns. 

'  *  Laugh ! "  thought  1.  "If  you  had  the  wit  of  a  louse 
you  would  be  praying!" 

I  was  all  as  taut  as  a  ship's  hawser  or  the  spring  of  a 
watch,  and  as  soon  as  he  came  within  reach  of  me  I  had 
him  by  the  ankle,  plucked  the  feet  right  out  from  under 
him,  laid  him  out,  and  was  upon  the  top  of  him,  broken 
leg  and  all,  before  he  breathed.  His  Winchester  had 
gone  the  same  road  as  my  shot-gun ;  it  was  nothing  to 
me  —  I  defied  him  now.  I'm  a  pretty  strong  man  any- 
way, but  1  never  knew  what  strength  was  till  1  got  hold 
of  Case.  He  was  knocked  out  of  time  by  the  rattle  he 
came  down  with,  and  threw  up  his  hands  together, 
more  like  a  frightened  woman,  so  that  1  caught  both  of 
them  with  my  left.  This  wakened  him  up,  and  he  fas- 
tened his  teeth  in  my  forearm  like  a  weasel.  Much  I 
cared.  My  leg  gave  me  all  the  pain  1  had  any  use  for, 
and  I  drew  my  knife  and  got  it  in  the  place. 

"Now,"  said  I,  "I've  got  you;  and  you're  gone  up^ 
and  a  good  job  too !  Do  you  feel  the  point  of  that  ? 
That's  for  Underbill!  And  there's  for  Adams!  And 
now  here's  for  Uma,  and  that's  going  to  knock  your 
blooming  soul  right  out  of  you! " 

With  that  I  gave  him  the  cold  steel  for  all  I  was 
worth.  His  body  kicked  under  me  like  a  spring  sofa; 
he  gave  a  dreadful  kind  of  a  long  moan,  and  lay  still. 

33 1 


THE   BEACH   OF  FALESA 

"I  wonder  if  you're  dead  ?  I  hope  so!  "  I  thought, 
for  my  head  was  swimming.  But  I  wasn't  going  to 
take  chances;  I  had  his  own  example  too  close  before 
me  for  that;  and  I  tried  to  draw  the  knife  out  to  give  it 
him  again.  The  blood  came  over  my  hands,  I  remem- 
ber, hot  as  tea ;  and  with  that  I  fainted  clean  away,  and 
fell  with  my  head  on  the  man's  mouth. 

When  I  came  to  myself  it  was  pitch  dark;  the  cin- 
ders had  burned  out;  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  but 
the  shine  of  the  dead  wood,  and  I  couldn't  remember 
where  I  was  nor  why  I  was  in  such  pain,  nor  what  I 
was  all  wetted  with.  Then  it  came  back,  and  the  first 
thing  I  attended  to  was  to  give  him  the  knife  again  a 
half  a  dozen  times  up  to  the  handle.  I  believe  he  was 
dead  already,  but  it  did  him  no  harm  and  did  me  good. 

*'I  bet  you're  dead  now,"  I  said,  and  then  I  called  to 
Uma. 

Nothing  answered,  and  I  made  a  move  to  go  and 
grope  for  her,  fouled  my  broken  leg,  and  fainted  again. 

When  I  came  to  myself  the  second  time  the  clouds 
had  all  cleared  away,  except  a  few  that  sailed  there, 
white  as  cotton.  The  moon  was  up  —  a  tropic  moon. 
The  moon  at  home  turns  a  wood  black,  but  even  this 
old  butt-end  of  a  one  showed  up  that  forest  as  green  as 
by  day.  The  night  birds — or,  rather,  they're  a  kind 
of  early  morning  bird — sang  out  with  their  long,  fall- 
ing notes  like  nightingales.  And  I  could  see  the  dead 
man,  that  I  was  still  half  resting  on,  looking  right  up 
into  the  sky  with  his  open  eyes,  no  paler  than  when  he 
was  alive;  and  a  little  way  off  Uma  tumbled  on  her 
side.  I  got  over  to  her  the  best  way  I  was  able,  and 
when  I  got  there  she  was  broad  awake  and  crying,  and 

.W2 


NIGHT  IN  THE  BUSH 

sobbing  to  herself  with  no  more  noise  than  an  insect. 
It  appears  she  was  afraid  to  cry  out  loud,  because  of  the 
aitus.  Altogether  she  was  not  much  hurt,  but  scared  be- 
yond belief;  she  had  come  to  her  senses  a  long  while  ago, 
cried  out  to  me,  heard  nothing  in  reply,  made  out  v/e 
were  both  dead,  and  had  lain  there  ever  since,  afraid  to 
budge  a  finger.  The  ball  had  ploughed  up  her  shoul- 
der, and  she  had  lost  a  main  quantity  of  blood ;  but  I 
soon  had  that  tied  up  the  way  it  ought  to  be  with  the 
tail  of  my  shirt  and  a  scarf  I  had  on,  got  her  head  on 
my  sound  knee  and  my  back  against  a  trunk,  and  settled 
down  to  wait  for  morning.  Uma  was  for  neither  use 
nor  ornament,  and  could  only  clutch  hold  of  me  and 
shake  and  cry.  I  don't  suppose  there  was  ever  any- 
body worse  scared,  and,  to  do  her  justice,  she  had  had 
a  lively  night  of  it.  As  for  me,  I  was  in  a  good  bit  of 
pain  and  fever,  but  not  so  bad  when  I  sat  still;  and 
every  time  I  looked  over  to  Case  I  could  have  sung  and 
whistled.  Talk  about  meat  and  drink!  To  see  that 
man  lying  there  dead  as  a  herring  filled  me  full. 

The  night  birds  stopped  after  a  while;  and  then  the 
light  began  to  change,  the  east  came  orange,  the  whole 
wood  began  to  whirr  with  singing  like  a  musical  box, 
and  there  was  the  broad  day. 

I  didn't  expect  Maea  for  a  long  while  yet;  and,  in- 
deed, I  thought  there  was  an  off-chance  he  might  go 
back  on  the  whole  idea  and  not  come  at  all.  I  was  the 
better  pleased  when,  about  an  hour  after  daylight,  I 
heard  sticks  smashing  and  a  lot  of  Kanakas  laughing 
and  singing  out  to  keep  their  courage  up.  Uma  sat  up 
quite  brisk  at  the  first  word  of  it;  and  presently  we  saw 
a  party  come  stringing  out  of  the  path,  Maea  in  front, 

333 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

and  behind  him  a  white  man  in  a  pith  helmet.  It  was 
Mr.  Tarleton,  who  had  turned  up  late  last  night  in  Fa- 
lesa,  having  left  his  boat  and  walked  the  last  stage  with 
a  lantern. 

They  buried  Case  upon  the  field  of  glory,  right  in  the 
hole  where  he  had  kept  the  smoking  head.  I  waited 
till  the  thing  was  done;  and  Mr.  Tarleton  prayed,  which 
I  thought  tom-foolery,  but  I'm  bound  to  say  he  gave  a 
pretty  sick  view  of  the  dear  departed's  prospects,  and 
seemed  to  have  his  own  ideas  of  hell.  I  had  it  out 
with  him  afterward,  told  him  he  had  scamped  his  duty, 
and  what  he  had  ought  to  have  done  was  to  up  like  a 
man  and  tell  the  Kanakas  plainly  Case  was  damned,  and 
a  good  riddance;  but  I  never  could  get  him  to  see  it  my 
way.  Then  they  made  me  a  litter  of  poles  and  carried 
me  down  to  the  station.  Mr.  Tarleton  set  my  leg,  and 
made  a  regular  missionary  splice  of  it,  so  that  I  limp  to 
this  day.  That  done,  he  took  down  my  evidence,  and 
Uma's,  and  Maea's,  wrote  it  all  out  fine,  and  had  us 
sign  it;  and  then  he  got  the  chiefs  and  marched  over  to 
Papa  Randall's  to  seize  Case's  papers. 

All  they  found  was  a  bit  of  a  diary,  kept  for  a  good 
many  years,  and  all  about  the  price  of  copra,  and  chick- 
ens being  stolen,  and  that;  and  the  books  of  the  busi- 
ness and  the  will  I  told  you  of  in  the  beginning,  by  both 
of  which  the  whole  thing  (stock,  lock,  and  barrel)  ap- 
peared to  belong  to  the  Samoa  woman.  It  was  I  that 
bought  her  out  at  a  mighty  reasonable  figure,  for  she 
was  in  a  hurry  to  get  home.  As  for  Randall  and  the 
black,  they  had  to  tramp;  got  into  some  kind  of  a  sta- 
tion on  the  Papa-malulu  side;  did  very  bad  business, 
for  the  truth  is  neither  of  the  pair  was  fit  for  it,  and  lived 

334 


NIGHT  IN  THE  BUSH 

mostly  on  fish,  which  was  the  means  ot  Randall's  death. 
It  seems  there  was  a  nice  shoal  in  one  day,  and  papa 
went  after  them  with  the  dynamite;  either  the  match 
burned  too  fast,  or  papa  was  full,  or  both,  but  the  shell 
went  off  (in  the  usual  way)  before  he  threw  it,  and 
where  was  papa's  hand  ?  Well,  there's  nothing  to  hurt 
in  that;  the  islands  up  north  are  all  full  of  one-handed 
men  like  the  parties  in  the  ''  Arabian  Nights ;  "  but  either 
Randall  was  too  old,  or  he  drank  too  much,  and  the 
short  and  the  long  of  it  was  that  he  died.  Pretty  soon 
after,  the  nigger  was  turned  out  of  the  island  for  steal- 
ing from  white  men,  and  went  off  to  the  west,  where 
he  found  men  of  his  own  colour,  in  case  he  liked  that, 
and  the  men  of  his  own  colour  took  and  ate  him  at 
some  kind  of  a  corroborree,  and  I'm  sure  I  hope  he  was 
to  their  fancy! 

So  there  was  I,  left  alone  in  my  glory  at  Falesa ;  and 
when  the  schooner  came  round  I  filled  her  up,  and  gave 
her  a  deck  cargo  half  as  high  as  the  house.  I  must  say 
Mr.  Tarleton  did  the  right  thing  by  us ;  but  he  took  a 
meanish  kind  of  a  revenge. 

"Now,  Mr.  Wiltshire,"  said  he,  "I've  put  you  all 
square  with  everybody  here.  It  wasn't  difficult  to  do. 
Case  being  gone;  but  I  have  done  it,  and  given  my 
pledge  besides  that  you  will  deal  fairly  with  the  natives. 
I  must  ask  you  to  keep  my  word." 

Well,  so  I  did.  I  used  to  be  bothered  about  my 
balances,  but  I  reasoned  it  out  this  way.  We  all  have 
queerish  balances,  and  the  natives  all  know  it  and  water 
their  copra  in  a  proportion  so  that  it's  fair  all  round ;  but 
the  truth  is,  it  did  use  to  bother  me,  and,  though  I  did 
well  in  Falesa,  I  was  half  glad  when  the  firm  moved  me 

335 


THE   BEACH   OF   FALESA 

on  to  another  station,  where  I  was  under  no  kind  of  a 
pledge  and  could  look  my  balances  in  the  face. 

As  for  the  old  lady,  you  know  her  as  well  as  I  do. 
She's  only  the  one  fault.  If  you  don't  keep  your  eye 
lifting  she  would  give  away  the  roof  off  the  station. 
Well,  it  seems  it's  natural  in  Kanakas.  She's  turned  a 
powerful  big  woman  now,  and  could  throw  a  London 
bobby  over  her  shoulder.  But  that's  natural  in  Kanakas 
too,  and  there's  no  manner  of  doubt  that  she's  an  A  i 
wife. 

Mr.  Tarleton's  gone  home,  his  trick  being  over.  He 
was  the  best  missionary  I  ever  struck,  and  now,  it  seems, 
he's  parsonising  down  Somerset  way.  Well,  that's 
best  for  him ;  he'll  have  no  Kanakas  there  to  get  luny 
over. 

My  public-house  ?  Not  a  bit  of  it,  nor  ever  likely. 
I'm  stuck  here,  I  fancy.  I  don't  like  to  leave  the  kids,  you 
see:  and — there's  no  use  talking  —  they're  better  here 
than  what  they  would  be  in  a  white  man's  country, 
though  Ben  took  the  eldest  up  to  Auckland,  where  he's 
being  schooled  with  the  best.  But  what  bothers  me 
is  the  girls.  They're  only  half-castes,  of  course ;  I  know 
that  as  well  as  you  do,  and  there's  nobody  thinks  less 
of  half-castes  than  I  do ;  but  they're  mine,  and  about  all 
I've  got.  I  can't  reconcile  my  mind  to  their  taking  up 
with  Kanakas,  and  I'd  like  to  know  where  I'm  to  find 
the  whites  ? 


336 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

Note. —  Any  student  of  that  very  unliterary  product,  the  English 
drama  of  the  early  part  of  the  century,  will  here  recognise  the  name 
and  the  root  idea  of  a  piece  once  rendered  popular  by  the  redoubtable 
B.  Smith.  The  root  idea  is  there  and  identical,  and  yet  I  believe  I  have 
made  it  a  new  thing.  And  the  fact  that  the  tale  has  been  designed 
and  w'tten  for  a  Polynesian  audience  may  lend  it  some  extraneous  in- 
terest nearer  home, —  R.  L.  S. 

THERE  was  a  man  of  the  island  of  Hawaii,  whom  I 
shall  call  Keawe;  for  the  truth  is,  he  still  lives,  and 
his  name  must  be  kept  secret ;  but  the  place  of  his  birth 
was  not  far  from  Honaunau,  where  the  bones  of  Keawe 
the  Great  lie  hidden  in  a  cave.  This  man  was  poor, 
brave,  and  active;  he  could  read  and  write  like  a  school- 
master; he  was  a  first-rate  mariner  besides,  sailed  for 
some  time  in  the  island  steamers,  and  steered  a  whale- 
boat  on  the  Hamakua  coast.  At  length  it  came  in 
Keawe's  mind  to  have  a  sight  of  the  great  world  and 
foreign  cities,  and  he  shipped  on  a  vessel  bound  to  San 
Francisco. 

This  is  a  fine  town,  with  a  fine  harbour,  and  rich  peo- 
ple uncountable;  and,  in  particular,  there  is  one  hill 
which  is  covered  with  palaces.  Upon  this  hill  Keawe 
was  one  day  taking  a  walk,  with  his  pocket  full  of 
money,  viewing  the  great  houses  upon  either  hand  with 
pleasure.     ' '  What  fine  houses  there  are !  "  he  was  think- 

Copyright,  1892,  1893,  1895,  by  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

ing,  *'  and  how  happy  must  these  people  be  who  dwell 
in  them,  and  take  no  care  for  the  morrow!"  The 
thought  was  in  his  mind  when  he  came  abreast  of  a 
house  that  was  smaller  than  some  others,  but  all  finished 
and  beautified  like  a  toy;  the  steps  of  that  house  shone 
like  silver,  and  the  borders  of  the  garden  bloomed  like 
garlands,  and  the  windows  were  bright  like  diamonds ; 
and  Keawe  stopped  and  wondered  at  the  excellence  o^ 
all  he  saw.  So  stopping,  he  was  aware  of  a  man  that 
looked  forth  upon  him  through  a  window,  so  clear,  that 
Keawe  could  see  him  as  you  see  a  fish  in  a  pool  upon 
the  reef  The  man  was  elderly,  with  a  bald  head  and  a 
black  beard ;  and  his  face  was  heavy  with  sorrow,  and  he 
bitterly  sighed.  And  the  truth  of  it  is,  that  as  Keawe 
looked  in  upon  the  man,  and  the  man  looked  out  upon 
Keawe,  each  envied  the  other. 

All  of  a  sudden  the  man  smiled  and  nodded,  and 
beckoned  Keawe  to  enter,  and  met  him  at  the  door  of 
the  house. 

**This  is  a  fine  house  of  mine,"  said  the  man,  and 
bitterly  sighed.  '*  Would  you  not  care  to  view  the 
chambers  ?" 

So  he  led  Keawe  all  over  it,  from  the  cellar  to  the  roof, 
and  there  was  nothing  there  that  was  not  perfect  of  its 
kind,  and  Keawe  was  astonished. 

**  Truly,"  said  Keawe,  "this  is  a  beautiful  house;  if 
I  lived  in  the  like  of  it,  I  should  be  laughing  all  day  long. 
How  comes  it,  then,  that  you  should  be  sighing.^" 

"There  is  no  reason,"  said  the  man,  "why  you 
should  not  have  a  house  in  all  points  similar  to  this, 
and  finer,  if  you  wish.  You  have  some  money,  I  sup- 
pose ?  " 

340 


THE   BOTTLE   IMP 

*'  I  have  fifty  dollars,"  said  Keawe;  *'  but  a  house  like 
this  will  cost  more  than  fifty  dollars." 

The  man  made  a  computation.  "I  am  sorry  you 
have  no  more,"  said  he,  ''for  it  may  raise  you  trou- 
ble in  the  future;  but  it  shall  be  yours  at  fifty  dollars." 

''The  house.?"  asked  Keawe. 

"No,  not  the  house,"  replied  the  man;  "but the  bot- 
tle. For,  I  must  tell  you,  although  I  appear  to  you  so 
rich  and  fortunate,  all  my  fortune,  and  this  house  itself 
and  its  garden,  came  out  of  a  bottle  not  much  bigger 
than  a  pint.     This  is  it." 

And  he  opened  a  lockfast  place,  and  took  out  a  round- 
bellied  bottle  wath  a  long  neck ;  the  glass  of  it  was  white 
like  milk,  with  changing  rainbow  colours  in  the  grain. 
Withinsides  something  obscurely  moved,  like  a  shadow 
and  a  fire. 

"This  is  the  bottle, "said  the  man;  and,  when  Kea- 
we laughed,  "You  do  not  believe  me?"  he  added. 
"Try,  then,  for  yourself     See  if  you  can  break  it." 

So  Keawe  took  the  bottle  up  and  dashed  it  on  the  floor 
till  he  was  weary ;  but  it  jumped  on  the  floor  like  a  child's 
ball,  and  was  not  injured. 

"  This  is  a  strange  thing,"  said  Keawe.  "  For  by  the 
touch  of  it,  as  well  as  by  the  look,  the  bottle  should  be 
of  glass." 

"Of  glass  it  is,"  replied  the  man,  sighing  more  heav- 
ily than  ever;  "  but  the  glass  of  it  was  tempered  in  the 
flames  of  hell.  An  imp  lives  in  it,  and  that  is  the  sha- 
dow we  behold  there  moving;  or,  so  I  suppose.  If  any 
man  buy  this  bottle  the  imp  is  at  his  command ;  all  that 
he  desires  —  love,  fame,  money,  houses  like  this  house, 
ay,  or  a  city  like  this  city  —  all  are  his  at  the  word  ut- 

34 » 


THE   BOTTLE   IMP 

tered.  Napoleon  had  this  bottle,  and  by  it  he  grew  to 
be  the  king  of  the  world ;  but  he  sold  it  at  the  last  and 
fell.  Captain  Cook  had  this  bottle,  and  by  it  he  found 
his  way  to  so  many  islands;  but  he,  too,  sold  it,  and  was 
slain  upon  Hawaii.  For,  once  it  is  sold,  the  power  goes 
and  the  protection ;  and  unless  a  man  remain  content 
with  what  he  has,  ill  will  befall  him." 

*'And  yet  you  talk  of  selling  it  yourself.?"  Keawe 
said. 

"I  have  all  I  wish,  and  I  am  growing  elderly,"  re- 
plied the  man.  *'  There  is  one  thing  the  imp  cannot  do 
— he  cannot  prolong  life ;  and,  it  would  not  be  fair  to  con- 
ceal from  you  there  is  a  drawback  to  the  bottle ;  for  if  a 
man  die  before  he  sells  it,  he  must  burn  in  hell  forever." 

"To  be  sure,  that  is  a  drawback  and  no  mistake," 
cried  Keawe.  "I  would  not  meddle  with  the  thing. 
I  can  do  without  a  house,  thank  God;  but  there  is  one 
thing  1  could  not  be  doing  with  one  particle,  and  that  is 
to  be  damned." 

**  Dear  me,  you  must  not  run  away  with  things,"  re- 
turned the  man.  "All  you  have  to  do  is  to  use  the 
power  of  the  imp  in  moderation,  and  then  sell  it  to 
someone  else,  as  I  do  to  you,  and  finish  your  life  in 
comfort." 

*  *  Well,  I  observe  two  things, "  said  Keawe.  ' '  All  the 
time  you  keep  sighing  like  a  maid  in  love,  that  is  one; 
and,  for  the  other,  you  sell  this  bottle  very  cheap." 

*'  I  have  told  you  already  why  1  sigh,"  said  the  man. 
'*It  is  because  I  fear  my  health  is  breaking  up;  and,  as 
you  said  yourself,  to  die  and  go  to  the  devil  is  a  pity  for 
anyone.  As  for  why  I  sell  so  cheap,  I  must  explain  to 
you  there  is  a  peculiarity  about  the  bottle.     Long  ago, 

342 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

when  the  devil  brought  it  first  upon  earth,  it  was  ex- 
tremely expensive,  and  was  sold  first  of  all  to  Prester 
John  for  many  millions  of  dollars;  but  it  cannot  be  sold 
at  all,  unless  sold  at  a  loss.  If  you  sell  it  for  as  much 
as  you  paid  for  it,  back  it  comes  to  you  again  like  a 
homing  pigeon.  It  follows  that  the  price  has  kept  fall- 
ing in  these  centuries,  and  the  bottle  is  now  remarkably 
cheap.  I  bought  it  myself  from  one  of  my  great  neigh- 
bours on  this  hill,  and  the  price  I  paid  was  only  ninety 
dollars.  I  could  sell  it  for  as  high  as  eighty-nine  dol- 
lars and  ninety-nine  cents,  but  not  a  penny  dearer,  or 
back  the  thing  must  come  to  me.  Now,  about  this 
there  are  two  bothers.  First,  when  you  offer  a  bottle 
so  singular  for  eighty  odd  dollars,  people  suppose  you 
to  be  jesting.  And  second  —  but  there  is  no  hurry  about 
that  —  and  I  need  not  go  into  it.  Only  remember  it 
must  be  coined  money  that  you  sell  it  for." 

**How  am  I  to  know  that  this  is  all  true.^"  asked 
Keawe. 

'*Some  of  it  you  can  try  at  once,"  replied  the  man. 
''Give  me  your  fifty  dollars,  take  the  bottle,  and  wish 
your  fifty  dollars  back  into  your  pocket.  If  that  does 
not  happen,  I  pledge  you  my  honour  I  will  cry  off  the 
bargain  and  restore  your  money." 

"  You  are  not  deceiving  me  ?"  said  Keawe. 

The  man  bound  himself  with  a  great  oath. 

"Well,  I  will  risk  that  much,"  said  Keawe,  ''for 
that  can  do  no  harm,"  and  he  paid  over  his  money  to 
the  man,  and  the  man  handed  him  the  bottle. 

"Imp  of  the  bottle,"  said  Keawe,  "I  want  my  fifty 
dollars  back."  And  sure  enough,  he  had  scarce  said 
the  word  before  his  pocket  was  as  heavy  as  ever. 

343 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

'*To  be  sure  this  is  a  wonderful  bottle,"  said  Keawe. 

*'  And  now  good-morning  to  you,  my  fine  fellow,  and 
the  devil  go  with  you  for  me,"  said  the  man. 

**  Hold  on,"  said  Keawe,  '*  I  don't  want  any  more  of 
this  fun.     Here,  take  your  bottle  back." 

''You  have  bought  it  for  less  than  I  paid  for  it,"  re- 
plied the  man,  rubbing  his  hands.  "  It  is  yours  now; 
and,  for  my  part,  I  am  only  concerned  to  see  the  back 
of  you. "  And  with  that  he  rang  for  his  Chinese  servant, 
and  had  Keawe  shown  out  of  the  house. 

Now,  when  Keawe  was  in  the  street,  with  the  bottle 
under  his  arm,  he  began  to  think.  "  If  all  is  true  about 
this  bottle,  I  may  have  made  a  losing  bargain,"  thinks 
he.  "  But,  perhaps  the  man  was  only  fooling  me."  The 
first  thing  he  did  was  to  count  his  money;  the  sum  was 
exact  —  forty-nine  dollars  American  money,  and  one 
Chili  piece.  ''That  looks  like  the  truth,"  said  Keawe. 
"Now  I  will  try  another  part." 

The  streets  in  that  part  of  the  city  were  as  clean  as  a 
ship's  decks,  and  though  it  was  noon,  there  were  no 
passengers.  Keawe  set  the  bottle  in  the  gutter  and 
walked  away.  Twice  he  looked  back,  and  there  was 
the  milky,  round-bellied  bottle  where  he  left  it.  A  third 
time  he  looked  back,  and  turned  a  corner;  but  he  had 
scarce  done  so,  when  something  knocked  upon  his  el- 
bow, and  behold!  It  was  the  long  neck  sticking  up; 
and,  as  for  the  round  belly,  it  was  jammed  into  the 
pocket  of  his  pilot-coat. 

"  And  that  looks  like  the  truth,"  said  Keawe. 

The  next  thing  he  did  was  to  buy  a  corkscrew  in  a 
shop,  and  go  apart  into  a  secret  place  in  the  fields. 
And  there  he  tried  to  draw  the  cork,  but  as  often  as  he 

344 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

put  the  screw  in,  out  it  came  again,  and  the  cork  as 
whole  as  ever. 

"This  is  some  new  sort  of  cork,"  said  Keawe,  and 
all  at  once  he  began  to  shake  and  sweat,  for  he  was 
afraid  of  that  bottle. 

On  his  way  back  to  the  port-side  he  saw  a  shop  where 
a  man  sold  shells  and  clubs  from  the  wild  islands,  old 
heathen  deities,  old  coined  money,  pictures  from  China 
and  Japan,  and  all  manner  of  things  that  sailors  bring  in 
their  sea-chests.  And  here  he  had  an  idea.  So  he  went 
in  and  offered  the  bottle  for  a  hundred  dollars.  The 
man  of  the  shop  laughed  at  him  at  first,  and  offered  him 
five;  but,  indeed,  it  was  a  curious  bottle,  such  glass 
was  never  blown  in  any  human  glassworks,  so  prettily 
the  colors  shone  under  the  milky  white,  and  so  strangely 
the  shadow  hovered  in  the  midst;  so,  after  he  had  dis- 
puted awhile  after  the  manner  of  his  kind,  the  shopman 
gave  Keawe  sixty  silver  dollars  for  the  thing  and  set  it 
on  a  shelf  in  the  midst  of  his  window. 

"Now,"  said  Keawe,  "I  have  sold  that  for  sixty 
which  I  bought  for  fifty  —  or,  to  say  truth,  a  little  less, 
because  one  of  my  dollars  was  from  Chili.  Now  I  shall 
know  the  truth  upon  another  point." 

So  he  went  back  on  board  his  ship,  and  when  he 
opened  his  chest,  there  was  the  bottle,  and  had  come 
more  quickly  than  himself.  Now  Keawe  had  a  mate  on 
board  whose  name  was  Lopaka. 

"What  ails  you?"  said  Lopaka,  "that  you  stare  in 
your  chest  ?  " 

They  were  alone  in  the  ship's  forecastle,  and  Keawe 
bound  him  to  secrecy,  and  told  all. 

"This  is  a  very  strange  affair,"  said  Lopaka;  "and  I 
345 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

fear  you  will  be  in  trouble  about  this  bottle.  But  there 
is  one  point  very  clear  —  that  you  are  sure  of  the  trouble, 
and  you  had  better  have  the  profit  in  the  bargain.  Make 
up  your  mind  what  you  want  with  it;  give  the  order, 
and  if  it  is  done  as  you  desire,  I  will  buy  the  bottle  my- 
self; for  I  have  an  idea  of  my  own  to  get  a  schooner,  and 
go  trading  through  the  islands." 

''That  is  not  my  idea,"  said  Keawe;  "but  to  have  a 
beautiful  house  and  garden  on  the  Kona  Coast,  where  I 
was  born,  the  sun  shining  in  at  the  door,  flowers  in  the 
garden,  glass  in  the  windows,  pictures  on  the  walls,  and 
toys  and  fine  carpets  on  the  tables,  for  all  the  world  like 
the  house  I  was  in  this  day  —  only  a  story  higher,  and 
with  balconies  all  about  like  the  King's  palace;  and  to 
live  there  without  care  and  make  merry  with  my  friends 
and  relatives." 

"  Well,"  said  Lopaka,  "let  us  carry  it  back  With  us  to 
Hawaii;  and  if  all  comes  true,  as  you  suppose,  I  will  buy 
the  bottle,  as  I  said,  and  ask  a  schooner." 

Upon  that  they  were  agreed,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  the  ship  returned  to  Honolulu,  carrying  Keawe 
and  Lopaka,  and  the  bottle.  They  were  scarce  come 
ashore  when  they  met  a  friend  upon  the  beach,  who  be- 
gan at  once  to  condole  with  Keawe. 

"I  do  not  know  what  I  am  to  be  condoled  about," 
said  Keawe. 

"  Is  it  possible  you  have  not  heard,"  said  the  friend, 
"your  uncle  —  that  good  old  man  —  is  dead,  and  your 
cousin  —  that  beautiful  boy  —  was  drowned  at  sea  ?  " 

Keawe  was  filled  with  sorrow,  and,  beginning  to 
weep  and  to  lament,  he  forgot  about  the  bottle.  But 
Lopaka  was  thinking  to  himself,  and  presently,  when 

346 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

Keawe's  grief  was  a  little  abated,  "  I  have  been  think- 
ing, "  said  Lopaka,  * '  had  not  your  uncle  lands  in  Hawaii, 
in  the  district  of  Kau  ?  " 

*  *  No, "  said  Keawe, '  *  not  in  Kau :  they  are  on  the  mount- 
ain-side—  a  little  be  south  Hookena." 

**  These  lands  will  now  be  yours  ?"  asked  Lopaka. 

"And  so  they  will,"  says  Keawe,  and  began  again  to 
lament  for  his  relatives. 

"No,"  said  Lopaka,  "do  not  lament  at  present.  I 
have  a  thought  in  my  mind.  How  if  this  should  be  the 
doing  of  the  bottle  ?  For  here  is  the  place  ready  for 
your  house." 

"  If  this  be  so,"  cried  Keawe,  "it  is  a  very  ill  way  to 
serve  me  by  killing  my  relatives.  But  it  may  be,  indeed ; 
for  it  was  in  just  such  a  station  that  I  saw  the  house 
with  my  mind's  eye." 

"The  house,  however,  is  not  yet  built,"  said  Lopaka. 

"No,  nor  like  to  be!  "  said  Keawe;  "for though  my 
uncle  has  some  coffee  and  ava  and  bananas,  it  will  not 
be  more  than  will  keep  me  in  comfort ;  and  the  rest  of 
that  land  is  the  black  lava." 

"Let  us  go  to  the  lawyer,"  said  Lopaka;  "I  have 
still  this  idea  in  my  mind." 

Now,  when  they  came  to  the  lawyer's,  it  appeared 
Keawe's  uncle  had  grown  monstrous  rich  in  the  last 
days,  and  there  was  a  fund  of  money. 

"  And  here  is  the  money  for  the  house! "  cried  Lopaka. 

"  If  you  are  thinking  of  a  new  house,"  said  the  law- 
yer, "  here  is  the  card  of  a  new  architect,  of  whom  they 
tell  me  great  things." 

"Better  and  better! "  cried  Lopaka.  "Here  is  all 
made  plain  for  us.     Let  us  continue  to  obey  orders." 

347  . 


THE   BOTTLE  IMP 

So  they  went  to  the  architect,  and  he  had  drawings 
of  houses  on  his  table. 

*' You  want  something  out  of  the  way,"  said  the  ar- 
chitect. **How  do  you  like  this.?"  and  he  handed  a 
drawing  to  Keawe. 

Now,  when  Keawe  set  eyes  on  the  drawing,  he 
cried  out  aloud,  for  it  was  the  picture  of  his  thought 
exactly  drawn. 

"I  am  in  for  this  house,"  thought  he.  ''Little  as  I 
like  the  way  it  comes  to  me,  I  am  in  for  it  now,  and  I 
may  as  well  take  the  good  along  with  the  evil." 

So  he  told  the  architect  all  that  he  wished,  and  how 
he  would  have  that  house  furnished,  and  about  the  pic- 
tures on  the  wall  and  the  knick-knacks  on  the  tables; 
and  he  asked  the  man  plainly  for  how  much  he  would 
undertake  the  whole  affair. 

The  architect  put  many  questions,  and  took  his  pen 
and  made  a  computation;  and  when  he  had  done  he 
named  the  very  sum  that  Keawe  had  inherited. 

Lopaka  and  Keawe  looked  at  one  another  and  nodded. 

"It  is  quite  clear,"  thought  Keawe,  ''that  I  am  to 
have  this  house,  whether  or  no.  It  comes  from  the 
devil,  and  I  fear  I  will  get  little  good  by  that;  and  of  one 
thing  I  am  sure,  I  will  make  no  more  wishes  as  long  as 
I  have  this  bottle.  But  with  the  house  I  am  saddled, 
and  I  may  as  well  take  the  good  along  with  the  evil." 

So  he  made  his  terms  with  the  architect,  and  they 
signed  a  paper;  and  Keawe  and  Lopaka  took  ship 
again  and  sailed  to  Australia;  for  it  was  concluded  be- 
tween them  they  should  not  interfere  at  all,  but  leave 
the  architect  and  the  bottle-imp  to  build  and  to  adorn 
that  house  at  their  own  pleasure. 

348 


THE  BOTTLE   IMP 

The  voyage  was  a  good  voyage,  only  all  the  time 
Keawe  was  holding  in  his  breath,  for  he  had  sworn  he 
would  utter  no  more  wishes,  and  take  no  more  favours, 
from  the  devil.  The  time  was  up  when  they  got  back. 
The  architect  told  them  that  the  house  was  ready,  and 
Keawe  and  Lopaka  took  a  passage  in  the  Hall,  and  went 
down  Kona  way  to  view  the  house,  and  see  if  all  had 
been  done  fitly  according  to  the  thought  that  was  in 
Keawe's  mind. 

Now,  the  house  stood  on  the  mountain  side,  visible 
to  ships.  Above,  the  forest  ran  up  into  the  clouds  of 
rain ;  below,  the  black  lava  fell  in  cliffs,  where  the  kings 
of  old  lay  buried.  A  garden  bloomed  about  that  house 
with  every  hue  of  flowers;  and  there  was  an  orchard 
of  papaia  on  the  one  hand  and  an  orchard  of  herdprint 
on  the  other,  and  right  in  front,  toward  the  sea,  a  ship's 
mast  had  been  rigged  up  and  bore  a  flag.  As  for  the 
house,  it  was  three  stories  high,  with  great  chambers 
and  broad  balconies  on  each.  The  windows  were  of 
glass,  so  excellent  that  it  was  as  clear  as  water  and  as 
bright  as  day.  All  manner  of  furniture  adorned  the 
chambers.  Pictures  hung  upon  the  wall  in  golden 
frames  —  pictures  of  ships,  and  men  fighting,  and  of  the 
most  beautiful  women,  and  of  singular  places ;  nowhere 
in  the  world  are  there  pictures  of  so  bright  a  colour  as 
those  Keawe  found  hanging  in  his  house.  As  for  the 
knick-knacks,  they  were  extraordinarily  fine:  chiming 
clocks  and  musical  boxes,  little  men  with  nodding 
heads,  books  filled  with  pictures,  weapons  of  price  from 
all  quarters  of  the  world,  and  the  most  elegant  puzzles 
to  entertain  the  leisure  of  a  solitary  man.  And  as  no 
one  would  care  to  live  in  such  chambers,  only  to  walk 

549 


THE   BOTTLE  IMP 

through  and  view  them,  the  balconies  were  made  so 
broad  that  a  whole  town  might  have  lived  upon  them 
in  delight;  and  Keawe  knew  not  which  to  prefer, 
whether  the  back  porch,  where  you  get  the  land  breeze, 
and  looked  upon  the  orchards  and  the  flowers,  or  the 
front  balcony,  where  you  could  drink  the  wind  of  the 
sea,  and  look  down  the  steep  wall  of  the  mountain  and 
see  the  Hall  going  by  once  a  week  or  so  between  Hoo- 
kena  and  the  hills  of  Pele,  or  the  schooners  plying  up 
the  coast  for  wood  and  ava  and  bananas. 

When  they  had  viewed  all,  Keawe  and  Lopaka  sat 
on  the  porch. 

"Well,"  asked  Lopaka,  "is  it  all  as  you  designed  ?" 

"  Words  cannot  utter  it,"  said  Keawe.  "  It  is  better 
than  I  dreamed,  and  I  am  sick  with  satisfaction." 

"There  is  but  one  thing  to  consider,"  said  Lopaka, 
"all  this  may  be  quite  natural,  and  the  bottle-imp  have 
nothing  whatever  to  say  to  it.  If  I  were  to  buy  the 
bottle,  and  got  no  schooner  after  all,  I  should  have  put 
my  hand  in  the  fire  for  nothing.  I  gave  you  my  word, 
I  know;  but  yet  I  think  you  would  not  grudge  me  one 
more  proof." 

"  I  have  sworn  I  would  take  no  more  favours,"  said 
Keawe.     "I  have  gone  already  deep  enough." 

"This  is  no  favour  I  am  thinking  of,"  replied  Lopaka. 
"It  is  only  to  see  the  imp  himself.  There  is  nothing 
to  be  gained  by  that,  and  so  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of, 
and  yet,  if  I  once  saw  him,  I  should  be  sure  of  the 
whole  matter.  So  indulge  me  so  far,  and  let  me  see 
the  imp ;  and,  after  that,  here  is  the  money  in  my  hand, 
and  I  will  buy  it." 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  I  am  afraid  of,"  said  Keawe. 
350 


THE   BOTTLE  IMP 

"  The  imp  may  be  very  ugly  to  view,  and  if  you  once 
set  eyes  upon  him  you  might  be  very  undesirous  of  the 
bottle." 

**  I  am  a  man  of  my  word,"  said  Lopaka.  **  And  here 
is  the  money  betwixt  us." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  Keawe,  "I  have  a  curiosity  my- 
self    So  come,  let  us  have  one  look  at  you,  Mr.  Imp." 

Now  as  soon  as  that  was  said,  the  imp  looked  out  of 
the  bottle,  and  in  again,  swift  as  a  lizard;  and  there  sat 
Keawe  and  Lopaka  turned  to  stone.  The  night  had 
quite  come,  before  either  found  a  thought  to  say  or  voice 
to  say  it  with ;  and  then  Lopaka  pushed  the  money  over 
and  took  the  bottle. 

"  I  am  a  man  of  my  word,"  said  he,  *'and  had  need 
to  be  so,  or  I  would  not  touch  this  bottle  with  my  foot. 
Well,  I  shall  get  my  schooner  and  a  dollar  or  two  for 
my  pocket;  and  then  I  will  be  rid  of  this  devil  as  fast  as 
I  can.  For  to  tell  you  the  plain  truth,  the  look  of  him 
has  cast  me  down." 

'  *  Lopaka, "  said  Keawe,  *  *  do  not  you  think  any  worse 
of  me  than  you  can  help;  I  know  it  is  night,  and  the 
roads  bad,  and  the  pass  by  the  tombs  an  ill  place  to  go 
by  so  late,  but  I  declare  since  I  have  seen  that  little  face, 
I  cannot  eat  or  sleep  or  pray  till  it  is  gone  from  me.  I 
will  give  you  a  lantern,  and  a  basket  to  put  the  bottle 
in,  and  any  picture  or  fine  thing  in  all  my  house  that 
takes  your  fancy;  and  be  gone  at  once,  and  go  sleep  at 
Hookena  with  Nahinu." 

"Keawe,"  said  Lopaka,  "many  a  man  would  take 
this  ill;  above  all,  when  I  am  doing  you  a  turn  so 
friendly,  as  to  keep  my  word  and  buy  the  bottle;  and 
for  that  matter,  the  night  and  the  dark,  and  the  way  by 

35^ 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

the  tombs,  must  be  all  tenfold  more  dangerous  to  a 
man  with  such  a  sin  upon  his  conscience,  and  such  a  bot- 
tle under  his  arm.  But  for  my  part,  I  am  so  extremely 
terrified  myself,  I  have  not  the  heart  to  blame  you.  Here 
I  go,  then;  and  I  pray  God  you  may  be  happy  in  your 
house,  and  I  fortunate  with  my  schooner,  and  both  get 
to  heaven  in  the  end  in  spite  of  the  devil  and  his  bottle." 

So  Lopaka  went  down  the  mountain;  and  Keawe 
stood  in  his  front  balcony,  and  listened  to  the  clink  of 
the  horse's  shoes,  and  watched  the  lantern  go  shining 
down  the  path,  and  along  the  cliff  of  caves  where  the 
old  dead  are  buried;  and  all  the  time  he  trembled  and 
clasped  his  hands,  and  prayed  for  his  friend,  and  gave 
glory  to  God  that  he  himself  was  escaped  out  of  that 
trouble. 

But  the  next  day  came  very  brightly,  and  that  new 
house  of  his  was  so  deligh'tful  to  behold  that  he  forgot 
his  terrors.  One  day  followed  another,  and  Keawe 
dwelt  there  in  perpetual  joy.  He  had  his  place  on  the 
back  porch ;  it  was  there  he  ate  and  lived,  and  read  the 
stories  in  the  Honolulu  newspapers;  but  when  anyone 
came  by  they  would  go  in  and  view  the  chambers  and 
the  pictures.  And  the  fame  of  the  house  went  far  and 
wide;  it  was  called  Ka-Hale  Nui — the  Great  House  — 
in  all  Kona;  and  sometimes  the  Bright  House,  for  Keawe 
kept  a  Chinaman,  who  was  all  day  dusting  and  furbish- 
ing; and  the  glass,  and  the  gilt,  and  the  fine  stuffs,  and 
the  pictures,  shone  as  bright  as  the  morning.  As  for 
Keawe  himself,  he  could  not  walk  in  the  chambers 
without  singing,  his  heart  was  so  enlarged ;  and  when 
ships  sailed  by  upon  the  sea,  he  would  fly  his  colours  on 
the  mast. 

352 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

So  time  went  by,  until  one  day  Keawe  went  upon  a 
visit  as  far  as  Kailua  to  certain  of  his  friends.  There  he 
was  well  feasted ;  and  left  as  soon  as  he  could  the  next 
morning,  and  rode  hard,  for  he  was  impatient  to  behold 
his  beautiful  house;  and,  besides,  the  night  then  coming 
on  was  the  night  in  which  the  dead  of  old  days  go 
abroad  in  the  sides  of  Kona;  and  having  already  med- 
dled with  the  devil,  he  was  the  more  chary  of  meeting 
with  the  dead.  A  little  beyond  Honaunau,  looking 
far  ahead,  he  was  aware  of  a  woman  bathing  in  the 
edge  of  the  sea;  and  she  seemed  a  well-grown  girl,  but 
he  thought  no  more  of  it.  Then  he  saw  her  white  shift 
flutter  as  she  put  it  on,  and  then  her  red  holoku;  and 
by  the  time  he  came  abreast  of  her  she  was  done  with 
her  toilet,  and  had  come  up  from  the  sea,  and  stood 
by  the  track-side  in  her  red  holoku,  and  she  was  all 
freshened  with  the  bath,  and  her  eyes  shone  and  were 
kind.  Now  Keawe  no  sooner  beheld  her  than  he  drew 
rein. 

"I  thought  I  knew  everyone  in  this  country,"  said 
he.     "  How  comes  it  that  I  do  not  know  you  ?" 

"I  am  Kokua,  daughter  of  Kiano,"  said  the  girl, 
' '  and  I  have  just  returned  from  Oahu.     Who  are  you  ?  '* 

"  I  will  tell  you  who  I  am  in  a  little,"  said  Keawe, 
dismounting  from  his  horse,  "but  not  now.  For  I 
have  a  thought  in  my  mind,  and  if  you  knew  who  I 
was,  you  might  have  heard  of  me,  and  would  not  give 
me  a  true  answer.  But  tell  me,  first  of  all,  one  thing: 
are  you  married  ?" 

At  this  Kokua  laughed  out  aloud.  "It  is  you  who 
ask  questions,"  she  said.  "Are  you  married  your- 
self?" 

353 


THE   BOTTLE  IMP 

"Indeed,  Kokua,  I  am  not,"  replied  Keawe,  **  and 
never  thought  to  be  until  this  hour.  But  here  is  the 
plain  truth.  I  have  met  you  here  at  the  road-side,  and 
I  saw  your  eyes,  which  are  like  the  stars,  and  my  heart 
went  to  you  as  swift  as  a  bird.  And  so  now,  if  you 
want  none  of  me,  say  so,  and  I  will  go  on  to  my  own 
place;  but  if  you  think  me  no  worse  than  any  other 
young  man,  say  so,  too,  and  I  will  turn  aside  to  your 
father's  for  the  night,  and  to-morrow  I  will  talk  with 
the  good  man." 

Kokua  said  never  a  word,  but  she  looked  at  the  sea 
and  laughed. 

"Kokua,"  said  Keawe,  "if  you  say  nothing,  I  will 
take  that  for  the  good  answer;  so  let  us  be  stepping  to 
your  father's  door." 

She  went  on  ahead  of  him,  still  without  speech;  only 
sometimes  she  glanced  back  and  glanced  away  again, 
and  she  kept  the  strings  of  her  hat  in  her  mouth. 

Now,  when  they  had  come  to  the  door,  Kiano  came 
out  on  his  veranda,  and  cried  out  and  welcomed  Keawe 
by  name.  At  that  the  girl  looked  over,  for  the  fame  of 
the  great  house  had  come  to  her  ears ;  and,  to  be  sure, 
it  was  a  great  temptation.  All  that  evening  they  were 
very  merry  together;  and  the  girl  was  as  bold  as  brass 
under  the  eyes  of  her  parents,  and  made  a  mark  of  Ke- 
awe, for  she  had  a  quick  wit.  The  next  day  he  had  a 
word  with  Kiano,  and  found  the  girl  alone. 

"Kokua,"  said  he,  "you  made  a  mark  of  me  all  the 
evening;  and  it  is  still  time  to  bid  me  go.  I  would  not 
tell  you  who  1  was,  because  I  have  so  fine  a  house,  and 
I  feared  you  would  think  too  much  of  that  house  and 
too  little  of  the  man  that  loves  you.     Now  you  know 

354 


THE   BOTTLE   IMP 

all,  and  if  you  wish  to  have  seen  the  last  of  me,  say  so 
at  once." 

**No,"  said  Kokua,  but  this  time  she  did  not  laugh, 
nor  did  Keawe  ask  for  more. 

This  was  the  wooing  of  Keawe;  things  had  gone 
quickly ;  but  so  an  arrow  goes,  and  the  ball  of  a  rifle 
swifter  still,  and  yet  both  may  strike  the  target.  Things 
had  gone  fast,  but  they  had  gone  far  also,  and  the 
thought  of  Keawe  rang  in  the  maiden's  head;  she  heard 
his  voice  in  the  breach  of  the  surf  upon  the  lava,  and  for 
this  young  man  that  she  had  seen  but  twice  she  would 
have  left  father  and  mother  and  her  native  islands.  As 
for  Keawe  himself,  his  horse  flew  up  the  path  of  the 
mountain  under  the  cliff  of  tombs,  and  the  sound  of 
the  hoofs,  and  the  sound  of  Keawe  singing  to  himself 
for  pleasure,  echoed  in  the  caverns  of  the  dead.  He 
came  to  the  Bright  House,  and  still  he  was  singing.  He 
sat  and  ate  in  the  broad  balcony,  and  the  Chinaman 
wondered  at  his  master,  to  hear  how  he  sang  between 
the  mouthfuls.  The  sun  went  down  into  the  sea,  and 
the  night  came;  and  Keawe  walked  the  balconies  by 
lamplight,  high  on  the  mountains,  and  the  voice  of  his 
singing  startled  men  on  ships. 

''Here  am  I  now  upon  my  high  place,"  he  said  to 
himself  **Life  may  be  no  better;  this  is  the  mountain 
top ;  and  all  shelves  about  me  toward  the  worse.  For 
the  first  time  1  will  light  up  the  chambers,  and  bathe  in 
my  fine  bath  with  the  hot  water  and  the  cold,  and  sleep 
above  in  the  bed  of  my  bridal  chamber." 

So  the  Chinaman  had  word,  and  he  must  rise  from 
sleep  and  light  the  furnaces;  and  as  he  walked  below, 
beside  the  boilers,  he  heard  his  master  singing  and  re- 

355 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

joicing  above  him  in  the  lighted  chambers.  When  the 
water  began  to  be  hot  the  Chinaman  cried  to  his  master: 
and  Keawe  went  into  the  bath-room;  and  the  China- 
man heard  him  sing  as  he  filled  the  marble  basin ;  and 
heard  him  sing,  and  the  singing  broken,  as  he  undressed ; 
until  of  a  sudden,  the  song  ceased.  The  Chinaman  lis- 
tened, and  listened ;  he  called  up  the  house  to  Keawe  to 
ask  if  all  were  well,  and  Keawe  answered  him  **Yes," 
and  bade  him  go  to  bed;  but  there  was  no  more  sing- 
ing in  the  Bright  House;  and  all  night  long  the  China- 
man heard  his  master's  feet  go  round  and  round  the 
balconies  without  repose. 

Now,  the  truth  of  it  was  this :  as  Keawe  undressed 
for  his  bath,  he  spied  upon  his  flesh  a  patch  like  a  patch 
of  lichen  on  a  rock,  and  it  was  then  that  he  stopped 
singing.  For  he  knew  the  likeness  of  that  patch,  and 
knew  that  he  was  fallen  in  the  Chinese  Evil. 

Now,  it  is  a  sad  thing  for  any  man  to  fall  into  this 
sickness.  And  it  would  be  a  sad  thing  for  anyone  to 
leave  a  house  so  beautiful  and  so  commodious,  and  de- 
part from  all  his  friends  to  the  north  coast  of  Molokai, 
between  the  mighty  cliff  and  the  sea-breakers.  But 
what  was  that  to  the  case  of  the  man  Keawe,  he  who 
had  met  his  love  but  yesterday,  and  won. her  but  that 
morning,  and  now  saw  all  his  hopes  break,  in  a  mo- 
ment, like  a  piece  of  glass  ? 

Awhile  he  sat  upon  the  edge  of  the  bath,  then  sprang, 
with  a  cry,  and  ran  outside;  and  to  and  fro,  to  and  fro, 
along  the  balcony,  like  one  despairing. 

''Very  willingly  could  I  leave  Hawaii,  the  home  of 
my  fathers, "  Keawe  was  thinking.  '  *  Very  lightly  could 
I  leave  my  house,  the  high-placed,  the  many- windowed, 

356 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

here  upon  the  mountains.  Very  bravely  could  I  go  to 
Molokai,  to  Kalaupapa  by  the  cliffs,  to  live  with  the 
smitten  and  to  sleep  there,  far  from  my  fathers.  But 
what  wrong  have  1  done,  what  sin  lies  upon  my  soul, 
that  I  should  have  encountered  Kokua  coming  cool  from 
the  sea-water  in  the  evening.?  Kokua,  the  soul  en- 
snarer!  Kokua,  the  light  of  my  life!  Her  may  I  never 
wed,  her  may  1  look  upon  no  longer,  her  may  I  no  more 
handle  with  my  loving  hand ;  and  it  is  for  this,  it  is  for 
you,  O  Kokua!  that  I  pour  my  lamentations! " 

Now  you  are  to  observe  what  sort  of  a  man  Keawe 
was,  for  he  might  have  dwelt  there  in  the  Bright  House 
for  years,  and  no  one  been  the  wiser  of  his  sickness ;  but 
he  reckoned  nothing  of  that,  if  he  must  lose  Kokua. 
And  again  he  might  have  wed  Kokua  even  as  he  was; 
and  so  many  would  have  done,  because  they  have  the 
souls  of  pigs ;  but  Keawe  loved  the  maid  manfully,  and 
he  would  do  her  no  hurt  and  bring  her  in  no  danger. 

A  little  beyond  the  midst  of  the  night,  there  came  in 
his  mind  the  recollection  of  that  bottle.  He  went  round 
to  the  back  porch,  and  called  to  memory  the  day  when 
the  devil  had  looked  forth ;  and  at  the  thought  ice  ran  in 
his  veins. 

"A  dreadful  thing  is  the  bottle,"  thought  Keawe, 
**and  dreadful  is  the  imp,  and  it  is  a  dreadful  thing  to 
risk  the  flames  of  hell.  But  what  other  hope  have  I  to 
cure  my  sickness  or  to  wed  Kokua  ?  What ! "  he  thought, 
**  would  I  beard  the  devil  once,  only  to  get  me  a  house, 
and  not  face  him  again  to  win  Kokua?" 

Thereupon  he  called  to  mind  it  was  the  next  day  the 
Hall  went  by  on  her  return  to  Honolulu.  **  There  must 
I  go  first,"  he  thought,  ''and  see  Lopaka.    For  the  best 

357 


THE   BOTTLE  IMP 

hope  that  I  have  now  is  to  find  that  same  bottle  I  was 
so  pleased  to  be  rid  of." 

Never  a  wink  could  he  sleep;  the  food  stuck  in  his 
throat;  but  he  sent  a  letter  to  Kiano,  and  about  the  time 
when  the  steamer  would  be  coming,  rode  down  beside 
the  cliff  of  the  tombs.  It  rained ;  his  horse  went  heavily ; 
he  looked  up  at  the  black  mouths  of  the  caves,  and  he 
envied  the  dead  that  slept  there  and  were  done  with 
trouble;  and  called  to  mind  how  he  had  galloped  by  the 
day  before,  and  was  astonished.  So  he  came  down  to 
Hookena,  and  there  was  all  the  country  gathered  for  the 
steamer  as  usual.  In  the  shed  before  the  store  they  sat 
and  jested  and  passed  the  news ;  but  there  was  no  mat- 
ter of  speech  in  Keawe's  bosom,  and  he  sat  in  their 
midst  and  looked  without  on  the  rain  falling  on  the 
houses,  and  the  surf  beating  among  the  rocks,  and  the 
sighs  arose  in  his  throat. 

"Keawe  of  the  Bright  House  is  out  of  spirits,"  said 
one  to  another.  Indeed,  and  so  he  was,  and  little 
wonder. 

Then  the  Hall  came,  and  the  whaleboat  carried  him 
on  board.  The  after-part  of  the  ship  was  full  of  Haoles 
— whites — who  had  been  to  visit  the  volcano,  as  their 
custom  is ;  and  the  midst  was  crowded  with  Kanakas, 
and  the  fore-part  with  wild  bulls  from  Hilo  and  horses 
from  Kau ;  but  Keawe  sat  apart  from  all  in  his  sorrow, 
and  watched  for  the  house  of  Kiano.  There  it  sat  low 
upon  the  shore  in  the  black  rocks,  and  shaded  by  the 
coron  palms,  and  there  by  the  door  was  a  red  holoku, 
no  greater  than  a  fly,  and  going  to  and  fro  with  a  fly's 
busyness.  "Ah,  queen  of  my  heart,"  he  cried,  "V\l 
venture  my  dear  soul  to  win  you!" 

358 


THE  BOTTLE   IMP 

Soon  after  darkness  fell  and  the  cabins  were  lit  up, 
and  the  Haoles  sat  and  played  at  the  cards  and  drank 
whiskey  as  their  custom  is ;  but  Keawe  walked  the  deck 
all  night;  and  all  the  next  day,  as  they  steamed  under 
the  lea  of  Maui  or  of  Molokai,  he  was  still  pacing  to  and 
fro  like  a  wild  animal  in  a  menagerie. 

Toward  evening  they  passed  Diamond  Head,  and 
came  to  the  pier  of  Honolulu.  Keawe  stepped  out 
among  the  crowd  and  began  to  ask  for  Lopaka.  It 
seemed  he  had  become  the  owner  of  a  schooner — none 
better  in  the  islands  —  and  was  gone  upon  an  adventure 
as  far  as  Pola-Pola  or  Kahiki ;  so  there  was  no  help  to 
be  looked  for  from  Lopaka.  Keawe  called  to  mind  a 
friend  of  his,  a  lawyer  in  the  town  (I  must  not  tell  his 
name),  and  inquired  of  him.  They  said  he  was  grown 
suddenly  rich,  and  had  a  fine  new  house  upon  Waikiki 
shore;  and  this  put  a  thought  in  Keawe's  head,  and  he 
called  a  hack  and  drove  to  the  lawyer's  house. 

The  house  was  all  brand  new,  and  the  trees  in  the 
garden  no  greater  than  walking-sticks,  and  the  lawyer, 
when  he  came,  had  the  air  of  a  man  well  pleased. 

**What  can  I  do  to  serve  you.?"  said  the  lawyer. 

"You  are  a  friend  of  Lopaka's,"  replied  Keawe,  "and 
Lopaka  purchased  from  me  a  certain  piece  of  goods  that 
I  thought  you  might  enable  me  to  trace." 

The  lawyer's  face  became  very  dark.  "I  do  not 
profess  to  misunderstand  you,  Mr.  Keawe,"  said  he, 
"though  this  is  an  ugly  business  to  be  stirring  in.  You 
may  be  sure  I  know  nothing,  but  yet  I  have  a  guess, 
and  if  you  would  apply  in  a  certain  quarter  I  think  you 
might  have  news." 

And  he  named  the  name  of  a  man,  which,  again,  I  had 
}59 


THE   BOTTLE  IMP 

better  not  repeat.  So  it  was  for  days,  and  Keawe  went 
from  one  to  another,  finding  everywhere  new  clothes 
and  carriages,  and  fine  new  houses  and  men  everywhere 
in  great  contentment,  although,  to  be  sure,  when  he 
hinted  at  his  business  their  faces  would  cloud  over. 

*'No  doubt  I  am  upon  the  track,"  thought  Keawe. 
**  These  new  clothes  and  carriages  are  all  the  gifts  of  the 
little  imp,  and  these  glad  faces  are  the  faces  of  men  who 
have  taken  their  profit  and  got  rid  of  the  accursed  thing 
in  safety.  When  1  see  pale  cheeks  and  hear  sighing,  I 
shall  know  that  1  am  near  the  bottle." 

So  it  befell  at  last  that  he  was  recommended  to  a 
Haole  in  Beritania  Street.  When  he  came  to  the  door, 
about  the  hour  of  the  evening  meal,  there  were  the  usual 
marks  of  the  new  house,  and  the  young  garden,  and  the 
electric  light  shining  in  the  windows;  but  when  the 
owner  came,  a  shock  of  hope  and  fear  ran  through 
Keawe;  for  here  was  a  young  man,  white  as  a  corpse, 
and  black  about  the  eyes,  the  hair  shedding  from  his 
head,  and  such  a  look  in  his  countenance  as  a  man  may 
have  when  he  is  waiting  for  the  gallows. 

"  Here  it  is,  to  be  sure,"  thought  Keawe,  and  so  with 
this  man  he  noways  veiled  his  errand.  "  I  am  come  to 
buy  the  bottle,"  said  he. 

At  the  word,  the  young  Haole  of  Beritania  Street  reeled 
against  the  wall. 

"The  bottle!"  he  gasped.  "To  buy  the  bottle ! " 
Then  he  seemed  to  choke,  and  seizing  Keawe  by  the 
arm,  carried  him  into  a  room  and  poured  out  wine  in 
two  glasses. 

"  Here  is  my  respects,"  said  Keawe,  who  had  been 
much   about  with    Haoles  in  his  time.      "Yes,"  he 

360 


THE   BOTTLE   IMP 

added,  "lam  come  to  buy  the  bottle.  What  is  the 
price  by  now  ?  " 

At  that  word  the  young  man  let  his  glass  slip  through 
his  fingers,  and  looked  upon  Keawe  like  a  ghost. 

' *  The  price, "  says  he ;  "  the  price !  You  do  not  know 
the  price  ?  " 

"It  is  for  that  I  am  asking  you,"  returned  Keawe. 
**  But  why  are  you  so  much  concerned  ?  Is  there  any- 
thing wrong  about  the  price  ?" 

"  It  has  dropped  a  great  deal  in  value  since  your  time, 
Mr.  Keawe,"  said  the  young  man,  stammering. 

"Well,  well,  I  shall  have  the  less  to  pay  for  it,"  says 
Keawe.     "  How  much  did  it  cost  you  ?" 

The  young  man  was  as  white  as  a  sheet.  "Two 
cents,"  said  he. 

'  *  What  ?  "  cried  Keawe, ' '  two  cents  ?  Why,  then,  you 

can  only  sell  it  for  one.    And  he  who  buys  it "    The 

words  died  upon  Keawe's  tongue;  he  who  bought  it 
could  never  sell  it  again,  the  bottle  and  the  bottle  imp 
must  abide  with  him  until  he  died,  and  when  he  died 
must  carry  him  to  the  red  end  of  hell. 

The  young  man  of  Beritania  Street  fell  upon  his 
knees.  "For  God's  sake,  buy  it!"  he  cried.  "You 
can  have  all  my  fortune  in  the  bargain.  I  was  mad  when 
I  bought  it  at  that  price.  I  had  embezzled  money 
at  my  store;  I  was  lost  else;  I  must  have  gone  to  jail." 

"  Poor  creature,"  said  Keawe,  "you  would  risk  your 
soul  upon  so  desperate  an  adventure,  and  to  avoid  the 
proper  punishment  of  your  own  disgrace;  and  you  think 
I  could  hesitate  with  love  in  front  of  me.  Give  me  the 
bottle,  and  the  change  which  I  make  sure  you  have  all 
ready.     Here  is  a  five-cent  piece." 

361 


THE  BOTTLE   IiMP 

It  was  as  Keawe  supposed;  the  young  man  had  the 
change  ready  in  a  drawer;  the  bottle  changed  hands,  and 
Keawe's  fingers  were  no  sooner  clasped  upon  the  stalk 
than  he  had  breathed  his  wish  to  be  a  clean  man. 
And,  sure  enough,  when  he  got  home  to  his  room,  and 
stripped  himself  before  a  glass,  his  flesh  was  whole  like 
an  infant's.  And  here  was  the  strange  thing :  he  had  no 
sooner  seen  this  miracle  than  his  mind  was  changed 
within  him,  and  he  cared  naught  for  the  Chinese  Evil, 
and  little  enough  for  Kokua;  and  had  but  the  one 
thought,  that  here  he  was  bound  to  the  bottle  imp  for 
time  and  for  eternity,  and  had  no  better  hope  but  to  be 
a  cinder  forever  in  the  flames  of  hell.  Away  ahead  of 
him  he  saw  them  blaze  with  his  mind's  eye,  and  his  soul 
shrank,  and  darkness  fell  upon  the  light. 

When  Keawe  came  to  himself  a  little,  he  was  aware 
it  was  the  night  when  the  band  played  at  the  hotel. 
Thither  he  went,  because  he  feared  to  be  alone;  and 
there,  among  happy  faces,  walked  to  and  fro,  and  heard 
the  tunes  go  up  and  down,  and  saw  Berger  beat  the 
measure,  and  all  the  while  he  heard  the  flames  crackle, 
and  saw  the  red  fire  burning  in  the  bottomless  pit.  Of 
a  sudden  the  band  played  Hihi-ao-ao  ;  that  was  a  song 
that  he  had  sung  with  Kokua,  and  at  the  strain  courage 
returned  to  him. 

*Mt  is  done  now,"  he  thought,  "  and  once  more  let 
me  take  the  good  along  with  the  evil." 

So  it  befell  that  he  returned  to  Hawaii  by  the  first 
steamer,  and  as  soon  as  it  could  be  managed  he  was 
wedded  to  Kokua,  and  carried  her  up  the  mountain  side 
to  the  Bright  House. 

Now  it  was  so  with  these  two,  that  when  they  were 
362 


THE   BOTTLE   IMP 

together  Keawe's  heart  was  stilled ;  but  as  soon  as  he 
was  alone  he  fell  into  a  brooding  horror,  and  heard  the 
flames  crackle,  and  saw  the  red  fire  burn  in  the  bottom- 
less pit.  The  girl,  indeed,  had  come  to  him  wholly; 
her  heart  leaped  in  her  side  at  sight  of  him,  her  hand 
clung  to  his;  and  she  was  so  fashioned,  from  the  hair 
upon  her  head  to  the  nails  upon  her  toes,  that  none  could 
see  her  without  joy.  She  was  pleasant  in  her  nature. 
She  had  the  good  word  always.  Full  of  song  she  was, 
and  went  to  and  fro  in  the  Bright  House,  the  brightest 
thing  in  its  three  stories,  carolling  like  the  birds.  And 
Keawe  beheld  and  heard  her  with  delight,  and  then 
must  shrink  upon  one  side,  and  weep  and  groan  to 
think  upon  the  price  that  he  had  paid  for  her;  and  then 
he  must  dry  his  eyes,  and  wash  his  face,  and  go  and  sit 
with  her  on  the  broad  balconies,  joining  in  her  songs, 
and,  with  a  sick  spirit,  answering  her  smiles. 

There  came  a  day  when  her  feet  began  to  be  heavy 
and  her  songs  more  rare;  and  now  it  was  not  Keawe 
only  that  would  weep  apart,  but  each  would  sunder 
from  the  other  and  sit  in  opposite  balconies  with  the 
whole  width  of  the  Bright  House  betwixt.  Keawe  was 
so  sunk  in  his  despair,  he  scarce  observed  the  change, 
and  was  only  glad  he  had  more  hours  to  sit  alone  and 
brood  upon  his  destiny,  and  was  not  so  frequently  con- 
demned to  pull  a  smiling  face  on  a  sick  heart.  But  one 
day,  coming  softly  through  the  house,  he  heard  the 
sound  of  a  child  sobbing,  and  there  was  Kokua  rolling  hei 
face  upon  the  balcony  floor,  and  weeping  like  the  lost. 

*'  You  do  well  to  weep  in  this  house,  Kokua,"  he  said. 
**  And  yet  I  would  give  the  head  off  my  body  that  you 
(at  least)  might  have  been  happy." 

363 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

** Happy!"  she  cried.  '*Keawe,  when  you  lived 
alone  in  your  Bright  House  you  were  the  word  of  the 
island  for  a  happy  man ;  laughter  and  song  were  in  your 
mouth,  and  your  face  was  as  bright  as  the  sunrise. 
Then  you  wedded  poor  Kokua ;  and  the  good  God 
knows  what  is  amiss  in  her  —  but  from  that  day  you 
have  not  smiled.  Oh!"  she  cried,  *'what  ails  me?  I 
thought  I  was  pretty,  and  I  knew  I  loved  him.  What 
ails  me,  that  I  throw  this  cloud  upon  my  husband  ?  " 

**Poor  Kokua,"  said  Keawe.  He  sat  down  by  her 
side,  and  sought  to  take  her  hand ;  but  that  she  plucked 
away.  "Poor  Kokua,"  he  said,  again.  **My  poor 
child  —  my  pretty.  And  I  had  thought  all  this  while  to 
spare  you!  Well,  you  shall  know  all.  Then,  at  least, 
you  will  pity  poor  Keawe;  then  you  will  understand 
how  much  he  loved  you  in  the  past  —  that  he  dared 
hell  for  your  possession  —  and  how  much  he  loves  you 
still  (the  poor  condemned  one),  that  he  can  yet  call  up 
a  smile  when  he  beholds  you." 

With  that,  he  told  her  all,  even  from  the  beginning. 

*'You  have  done  this  for  me?"  she  cried.  *'Ah, 
well,  then  what  do  I  care!"  and  she  clasped  and  wept 
upon  him. 

"Ah,  child!"  said  Keawe,  "and  yet,  when  I  con- 
sider of  the  fire  of  hell,  I  care  a  good  deal! " 

"Never  tell  me,"  said  she,  "no  man  can  be  lost  be- 
cause he  loved  Kokua,  and  no  other  fault.  I  tell  you, 
Keawe,  I  shall  save  you  with  these  hands,  or  perish  in 
your  company.  What!  you  loved  me  and  gave  your 
soul,  and  you  think  I  will  not  die  to  save  you  in  re- 
turn?" 

*'  Ah,  my  dear,  you  might  die  a  hundred  times,  and 
364 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

what  difference  would  that  make?"  he  cried,  "e^ccept 
to  leave  me  lonely  till  the  time  comes  of  my  damna- 
tion?" 

''You  know  nothing,"  said  she.  '* I  was  educated 
in  a  school  in  Honolulu;  I  am  no  common  girl.  And  I 
tell  you  I  shall  save  my  lover.  What  is  this  you  say 
about  a  cent  ?  But  all  the  world  is  not  American.  In 
England  they  have  a  piece  they  call  a  farthing,  which 
is  about  half  a  cent.  Ah!  sorrow!"  she  cried,  ''that 
makes  it  scarcely  better,  for  the  buyer  must  be  lost,  and 
we  shall  find  none  so  brave  as  my  Keawe!  But,  then, 
there  is  France;  they  have  a  small  coin  there  which  they 
call  a  centime,  and  these  go  five  to  the  cent  or  therea- 
bout. We  could  not  do  better.  Come,  Keawe,  let  us 
go  to  the  French  islands ;  let  us  go  to  Tahiti,  as  fast  as 
ships  can  bear  us.  There  we  have  four  centimes,  three 
centimes,  two  centimes,  one  centime;  four  possible 
sales  to  come  and  go  on ;  and  two  of  us  to  push  the 
bargain.  Come,  my  Keawe!  kiss  me,  and  banish  care. 
Kokua  will  defend  you." 

"Gift  of  God!"  he  cried.  "I  cannot  think  that  God 
will  punish  me  for  desiring  aught  so  good !  Be  it  as  you 
will,  then,  take  me  where  you  please :  I  put  my  life  and 
my  salvation  in  your  hands." 

Early  the  next  day  Kokua  was  about  her  preparations. 
She  took  Keawe's  chest  that  he  went  with  sailoring; 
and  first  she  put  the  bottle  in  a  corner,  and  then  packed 
it  with  the  richest  of  their  clothes  and  the  bravest  of 
the  knick-knacks  in  the  house.  "  For,"  said  she,  "  we 
must  seem  to  be  rich  folks,  or  who  will  believe  in  the 
bottle  ? "  All  the  time  of  her  preparation  she  was  as 
gay  as  a  bird;  only  when  she  looked  upon  Keawe  the 

^65 


THE   BOTTLE   IMP 

tears  would  spring  in  her  eye,  and  she  must  run  and 
kiss  him.  As  for  Keawe,  a  weight  was  off  his  soul; 
now  that  he  had  his  secret  shared,  and  some  hope  in 
front  of  him,  he  seemed  like  a  new  man,  his  feet  went 
lightly  on  the  earth,  and  his  breath  was  good  to  him 
again.  Yet  was  terror  still  at  his  elbow ;  and  ever  and 
again,  as  the  wind  blows  out  a  taper,  hope  died  in  him, 
and  he  saw  the  flames  toss  and  the  red  fire  burn  in 
hell. 

It  was  given  out  in  the  country  they  were  gone  pleas- 
uring to  the  States,  which  was  thought  a  strange  thing, 
and  yet  not  so  strange  as  the  truth,  if  any  could  have 
guessed  it.  So  they  went  to  Honolulu  in  the  Hall,  and 
thence  in  the  Umatilla  to  San  Francisco  with  a  crowd 
of  Haoles,  and  at  San  Francisco  took  their  passage  by 
the  mail  brigantine,  the  Tropic  Bird,  for  Papeete,  the 
chief  place  of  the  French  in  the  south  islands.  Thither 
they  came,  after  a  pleasant  voyage,  on  a  fair  day  of  the 
Trade  wind,  and  saw  the  reef  with  the  surf  breaking 
and  Motuiti  with  its  palms,  and  the  schooner  riding 
withinside,  and  the  white  houses  of  the  town  low 
down  along  the  shore  among  green  trees,  and  overhead 
the  mountains  and  the  clouds  of  Tahiti,  the  wise  island. 

It  was  judged  the  most  wise  to  hire  a  house,  which 
they  did  accordingly,  opposite  the  British  Consul's,  to 
make  a  great  parade  of  money,  and  themselves  con- 
spicuous with  carriages  and  horses.  This  it  was  very 
easy  to  do,  so  long  as  they  had  the  bottle  in  their  pos- 
session; for  Kokua  was  more  bold  than  Keawe,  and, 
whenever  she  had  a  mind,  called  on  the  imp  for  twenty 
or  a  hundred  dollars.  At  this  rate  they  soon  grew  to 
be  remarked  in  the  town ;  and  the  strangers  from  Ha- 

^66 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

waii,  their  riding  and  their  driving,  the  fine  holokus, 
and  the  rich  lace  of  Kokua,  became  the  matter  of  much 
talk. 

They  got  on  well  after  the  first  with  the  Tahitian  lan- 
guage, which  is  indeed  like  to  the  Hawaiian,  with  a 
change  of  certain  letters;  and  as  soon  as  they  had  any 
freedom  of  speech,  began  to  push  the  bottle.  You  are 
to  consider  it  was  not  an  easy  subject  to  introduce ;  it 
was  not  easy  to  persuade  people  you  are  in  earnest, 
when  you  offer  to  sell  them  for  four  centimes  the  spring 
of  health  and  riches  inexhaustible.  It  was  necessary 
besides  to  explain  the  dangers  of  the  bottle;  and  either 
people  disbelieved  the  whole  thing  and  laughed,  or  they 
thought  the  more  of  the  darker  part,  became  overcast 
with  gravity,  and  drew  away  from  Keawe  and  Kokua, 
as  from  persons  who  had  dealings  with  the  devil.  So 
far  from  gaining  ground,  these  two  began  to  find  they 
were  avoided  in  the  town ;  the  children  ran  away  from 
them  screaming,  a  thing  intolerable  to  Kokua;  Catholics 
crossed  themselves  as  they  went  by;  and  all  persons 
began  with  one  accord  to  disengage  themselves  from 
their  advances. 

Depression  fell  upon  their  spirits.  They  would  sit  at 
night  in  their  new  house,  after  a  day's  weariness,  and 
not  exchange  one  word,  or  the  silence  would  be  broken 
by  Kokua  bursting  suddenly  into  sobs.  Sometimes 
they  would  pray  together;  sometimes  they  would  have 
the  bottle  out  upon  the  floor,  and  sit  all  evening  watch- 
ing how  the  shadow  hovered  in  the  midst.  At  such 
times  they  would  be  afraid  to  go  to  rest.  It  was  long 
ere  slumber  came  to  them,  and,  if  either  dozed  off,  it 
would  be  to  wake  and  find  the  other  silently  weeping 

367 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

in  the  dark,  or,  perhaps,  to  wake  alone,  the  other  hav- 
ing fled  from  the  house  and  the  neighbourhood  of  that 
bottle,  to  pace  under  the  bananas  in  the  little  garden,  or 
to  wander  on  the  beach  by  moonlight. 

One  night  it  was  so  when  Kokua  awoke.  Keawe 
was  gone.  She  felt  in  the  bed  and  his  place  was  cold. 
Then  fear  fell  upon  her,  and  she  sat  up  in  bed.  A  little 
moonshine  filtered  through  the  shutters.  The  room 
was  bright,  and  she  could  spy  the  bottle  on  the  floor. 
Outside  it  blew  high,  the  great  trees  of  the  avenue 
cried  aloud,  and  the  fallen  leaves  rattled  in  the  ve- 
randa. In  the  midst  of  this  Kokua  was  aware  of  another 
sound ;  whether  of  a  beast  or  of  a  man  she  could  scarce 
tell,  but  it  was  as  sad  as  death,  and  cut  her  to  the  soul. 
Softly  she  arose,  set  the  door  ajar,  and  looked  forth  into 
the  moonlit  yard.  There,  under  the  bananas,  lay  Ke- 
awe, his  mouth  in  the  dust,  and  as  he  lay  he  moaned. 

It  was  Kokua's  first  thought  to  run  forward  and  con- 
sole him;  her  second  potently  withheld  her.  Keawe 
had  borne  himself  before  his  wife  like  a  brave  man ;  it 
became  her  little  in  the  hour  of  weakness  to  intrude 
upon  his  shame.  With  the  thought  she  drew  back  into 
the  house. 

**  Heaven,"  she  thought,  ''how  careless  have  I  been 
—  how  weak !  It  is  he,  not  I,  that  stands  in  this  eter- 
nal peril;  it  was  he,  not  I,  that  took  the  curse  upon  his 
soul.  It  is  for  my  sake,  and  for  the  love  of  a  creature 
of  so  little  worth  and  such  poor  help,  that  he  now  be- 
holds so  close  to  him  the  flames  of  hell — ay,  and  smells 
the  smoke  of  it,  lying  without  there  in  the  wind  and 
moonlight.  Am  I  so  dull  of  spirit  that  never  till  now 
I  have  surmised  my  duty,  or  have  I  seen  it  before  and 

368 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

turned  aside  ?  But  now,  at  least,  I  take  up  my  soul  in 
both  the  hands  of  my  affection ;  now  I  say  farewell  to 
the  white  steps  of  heaven  and  the  waiting  faces  of  my 
friends.  A  love  for  a  love,  and  let  mine  be  equalled 
with  Keawe's!  A  soul  for  a  soul,  and  be  it  mine  to 
perish ! " 

She  was  a  deft  woman  with  her  hands,  and  was  soon 
apparelled.  She  took  in  her  hands  the  change  —  the 
precious  centimes  they  kept  ever  at  their  side;  for  this 
coin  is  little  used,  and  they  had  made  provision  at  a 
government  office.  When  she  was  forth  in  the  avenue 
clouds  came  on  the  wind,  and  the  moon  was  blackened. 
The  town  slept,  and  she  knew  not  whither  to  turn  till  she 
heard  one  coughing  in  the  shadow  of  the  trees. 

''  Old  man,"  said  Kokua,  *' what  do  you  here  abroad 
in  the  cold  night  ?  " 

The  old  man  could  scarce  express  himself  for  cough- 
ing, but  she  made  out  that  he  was  old  and  poor,  and  a 
stranger  in  the  island. 

**  Will  you  do  me  a  service  ?"  said  Kokua.  "  As  one 
stranger  to  another,  and  as  an  old  man  to  a  young 
woman,  will  you  help  a  daughter  of  Hawaii  ?" 

"Ah,"  said  the  old  man.  "So  you  are  the  witch 
from  the  eight  islands,  and  even  my  old  soul  you  seek 
to  entangle.  But  I  have  heard  of  you,  and  defy  your 
wickedness." 

"  Sit  down  here,"  said  Kokua,  "and  let  me  tell  you 
a  tale."  And  she  told  him  the  story  of  Keawe  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end. 

"And  now,"  said  she,  "I  am  his  wife,  whom  he 
bought  with  his  soul's  welfare.  And  what  should  I  do  ? 
If  I  went  to  him  myself  and  offered  to  buy  it,  he  will  re- 

^69 


THE   BOTTLE   IMP 

fuse.  But  if  you  go,  he  will  sell  it  eagerly ;  I  will  await 
you  here ;  you  will  buy  it  for  four  centimes,  and  I  will 
buy  it  again  for  three.  And  the  Lord  strengthen  a  poor 
girl!" 

"  If  you  meant  falsely,"  said  the  old  man,  ''I  think 
God  would  strike  you  dead." 

**He  would!"  cried  Kokua.  ''Be  sure  he  would. 
I  could  not  be  so  treacherous,  God  would  not  suffer 
it." 

'*  Give  me  the  four  centimes  and  await  me  here,"  said 
the  old  man. 

Now,  when  Kokua  stood  alone  in  the  street,  her 
spirit  died.  The  wind  roared  in  the  trees,  and  it  seemed 
to  her  the  rushing  of  the  flames  of  hell;  the  shadows 
towered  in  the  light  of  the  street  lamp,  and  they  seemed 
to  her  the  snatching  hands  of  evil  ones.  If  she  had  had 
the  strength,  she  must  have  run  away,  and  if  she  had 
had  the  breath  she  must  have  screamed  aloud;  but,  in 
truth,  she  could  do  neither,  and  stood  and  trembled  in 
the  avenue,  like  an  affrighted  child. 

Then  she  saw  the  old  man  returning,  and  he  had  the 
bottle  in  his  hand. 

"I  have  done  your  bidding,"  said  he,  "I  left  your 
husband  weeping  like  a  child;  to-night  he  will  sleep 
easy."     And  he  held  the  bottle  forth. 

**  Before  you  give  it  me,"  Kokua  panted,  ''take  the 
good  with  the  evil  —  ask  to  be  delivered  from  your 
cough." 

"  I  am  an  old  man,"  replied  the  other,  "  and  too  near 
the  gate  of  the  grave  to  take  a  favour  from  the  devil. 
But  what  is  this  ?  Why  do  you  not  take  the  bottle  ?  Do 
you  hesitate  ?  " 

370 


THE   BOTTLE   IMP 

"Not  hesitate!"  cried  Kokua.  ''I  am  only  weak. 
Give  me  a  moment.  It  is  my  hand  resists,  my  flesh 
shrinks  back  from  the  accursed  thing.  One  moment 
only!" 

The  old  man  looked  upon  Kokua  kindly.  "  Poor 
child!"  said  he,  "you  fear:  your  soul  misgives  you. 
Well,  let  me  keep  it.  I  am  old,  and  can  never  more 
be  happy  in  this  world,  and  as  for  the  next " 

"Give  it  me!"  gasped  Kokua.  "There  is  your 
money.  Do  you  think  I  am  so  base  as  that  ?  Give  me 
the  bottle." 

"God  bless  you,  child,"  said  the  old  man. 

Kokua  concealed  the  bottle  under  her  holoku,  said 
farewell  to  the  old  man,  and  walked  off  along  the 
avenue,  she  cared  not  whither.  For  all  roads  were  now 
the  same  to  her,  and  led  equally  to  hell.  Sometimes 
she  walked,  and  sometimes  ran ;  sometimes  she  screamed 
out  loud  in  the  night,  and  sometimes  lay  by  the  way- 
side in  the  dust  and  wept.  All  that  she  had  heard  of 
hell  came  back  to  her;  she  saw  the  flames  blaze,  and 
she  smelled  the  smoke,  and  her  flesh  withered  on  the 
coals. 

Near  day  she  came  to  her  mind  again,  and  returned 
to  the  house.  It  was  even  as  the  old  man  said  —  Keawe 
slumbered  like  a  child.  Kokua  stood  and  gazed  upon 
his  face. 

"Now,  my  husband,"  said  she,  "it  is  your  turn  to 
sleep.  When  you  wake  it  will  be  your  turn  to  sing  and 
laugh.  But  for  poor  Kokua,  alas!  that  meant  no  evil  — 
for  poor  Kokua  no  more  sleep,  no  more  singing,  no  more 
delight,  whether  in  earth  or  Heaven." 

With  that  she  lay  down  in  the  bed  by  his  side,  and 
37» 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

her  misery  was  so  extreme  that  she  fell  in  a  deep  slum- 
ber instantly. 

Late  in  the  morning  her  husband  woke  her  and  gave 
her  the  good  news.  It  seemed  he  was  silly  with  de- 
light, for  he  paid  no  heed  to  her  distress,  ill  though  she 
dissembled  it.  The  words  stuck  in  her  mouth,  it  mat- 
tered not;  Keawe  did  the  speaking.  She  ate  not  a  bite, 
but  who  was  to  observe  it  ?  For  Keawe  cleared  the 
dish.  Kokua  saw  and  heard  him,  like  some  strange 
thing  in  a  dream ;  there  were  times  when  she  forgot  or 
doubted,  and  put  her  hands  to  her  brow;  to  know  her- 
self doomed  and  hear  her  husband  babble,  seemed  so 
monstrous. 

All  the  while  Keawe  was  eating  and  talking,  and  plan- 
ning the  time  of  their  return,  and  thanking  her  for  sav- 
ing him,  and  fondling  her,  and  calling  her  the  true  helper 
after  all.  He  laughed  at  the  old  man  that  was  fool 
enough  to  buy  that  bottle. 

"  A  worthy  old  man  he  seemed,"  Keawe  said.  "  But 
no  one  can  judge  by  appearances.  For  why  did  the  old 
reprobate  require  the  bottle  ?  " 

"My  husband,"  said  Kokua,  humbly,  **his  purpose 
may  have  been  good." 

Keawe  laughed  like  an  angry  man. 

** Fiddle-de-dee!"  cried  Keawe.  ''An  old  rogue,  I 
tell  you;  and  an  old  ass  to  boot.  For  the  bottle  was 
hard  enough  to  sell  at  four  centimes ;  and  at  three  it  will 
be  quite  impossible.  The  margin  is  not  broad  enough, 
the  thing  begins  to  smell  of  scorching  —  brrr!"  said 
he,  and  shuddered.  "It  is  true  I  bought  it  myself  at 
a  cent,  when  I  knew  not  there  were  smaller  coins.  I 
was  a  fool  for  my  pains;  there  will  never  be  found 

372 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

another,  and  whoever  has  that  bottle  now  will  carry  it 
to  the  pit." 

*'0  my  husband ! "  said  Kokua.  *'Is  it  not  a  terrible 
thing  to  save  oneself  by  the  eternal  ruin  of  another  ?  It 
seems  to  me  1  could  not  laugh.  I  would  be  humbled. 
I  would  be  filled  with  melancholy.  I  would  pray  for  the 
poor  holder." 

Then  Keawe,  because  he  felt  the  truth  of  what  she 
said,  grew  the  more  angry.  *'Heighty-teighty!"  cried 
he.  **  You  may  be  filled  with  melancholy  if  you  please. 
It  is  not  the  mind  of  a  good  wife.  If  you  thought  at  all 
of  me,  you  would  sit  shamed." 

Thereupon  he  went  out,  and  Kokua  was  alone. 

What  chance  had  she  to  sell  that  bottle  at  two  cen- 
times ?  None,  she  perceived.  And  if  she  had  any,  here 
was  her  husband  hurrying  her  away  to  a  country  where 
there  was  nothing  lower  than  a  cent.  And  here  —  on 
the  morrow  of  her  sacrifice  —  was  her  husband  leaving 
her  and  blaming  her. 

She  would  not  even  try  to  profit  by  what  time  she 
had,  but  sat  in  the  house,  and  now  had  the  bottle  out 
and  viewed  it  with  unutterable  fear,  and  now,  with 
loathing,  hid  it  out  of  sight. 

By  and  by,  Keawe  came  back,  and  would  have  her 
take  a  drive. 

''My  husband,  I  am  ill,"  she  said.  *' I  am  out  of 
heart.     Excuse  me,  I  can  take  no  pleasure." 

Then  was  Keawe  more  wroth  than  ever.  With  her, 
because  he  thought  she  was  brooding  over  the  case  of 
the  old  man ;  and  with  himself,  because  he  thought  she 
was  right,  and  was  ashamed  to  be  so  happy. 

''This  is  your  truth,"  cried  he,  "and  this  your  affec- 
373 


THE   BOTTLE   IMP 

tion!  Your  husband  is  just  saved  from  eternal  ruin, 
which  he  encountered  for  the  love  of  you — and  you  can 
take  no  pleasure!    Kokua,  you  have  a  disloyal  heart." 

He  went  forth  again  furious,  and  wandered  in  the  town 
all  day.  He  met  friends,  and  drank  with  them;  they 
hired  a  carriage  and  drove  into  the  country,  and  there 
drank  again.  All  the  time  Keawe  was  ill  at  ease,  be- 
cause he  was  taking  this  pastime  while  his  wife  was  sad, 
and  because  he  knew  in  his  heart  that  she  was  more 
right  than  he;  and  the  knowledge  made  him  drink  the 
deeper. 

Now,  there  was  an  old  brutal  Haole  drinking  with  him, 
one  that  had  been  a  boatswain  of  a  whaler  —  a  runaway, 
a  digger  in  gold  mines,  a  convict  in  prisons.  He  had  a 
low  mind  and  a  foul  mouth;  he  loved  to  drink  and  to 
see  others  drunken ;  and  he  pressed  the  glass  upon  Ke- 
awe.    Soon  there  was  no  more  money  in  the  company. 

**Here,  you!"  says  the  boatswain,  ''you  are  rich, 
you  have  been  always  saying.  You  have  a  bottle  or 
some  foolishness." 

*' Yes,"  says  Keawe,  ''I  am  rich;  I  will  go  back  and 
get  some  money  from  my  wife,  who  keeps  it." 

''That's  a  bad  idea,  mate,"  said  the  boatswain. 
^* Never  you  trust  a  petticoat  with  dollars.  They're  all 
as  false  as  water;  you  keep  an  eye  on  her." 

Now,  this  word  struck  in  Keawe's  mind ;  for  he  was 
muddled  with  what  he  had  been  drinking. 

"I  should  not  wonder  but  she  was  false,  indeed," 
thought  he.  "Why  else  should  she  be  so  cast  down 
at  my  release  ?  But  I  will  show  her  I  am  not  the  man 
to  be  fooled.     I  will  catch  her  in  the  act." 

Accordingly,  when  they  were  back  in  town,  Keawe 
374 


THE   BOTTLE   IMP 

bade  the  boatswain  wait  for  him  at  the  corner,  by  the 
old  calaboose,  and  went  forward  up  the  avenue  alone 
to  the  door  of  his  house.  The  night  had  come  again ; 
there  was  a  light  within,  but  never  a  sound;  and  Ke- 
awe  crept  about  the  corner,  opened  the  back  door  softly, 
and  looked  in. 

There  was  Kokua  on  the  floor,  the  lamp  at  her  side; 
before  her  was  a  milk-white  bottle,  with  a  round  belly 
and  a  long  neck;  and  as  she  viewed  it,  Kokua  wrung 
her  hands. 

A  long  time  Keawe  stood  and  looked  in  the  doorway. 
At  first  he  was  struck  stupid ;  and  then  fear  fell  upon  him 
that  the  bargain  had  been  made  amiss,  and  the  bottle 
had  come  back  to  him  as  it  came  at  San  Francisco;  and 
at  that  his  knees  were  loosened,  and  the  fumes  of  the 
wine  departed  from  his  head  like  mists  off  a  river  in  the 
morning.  And  then  he  had  another  thought;  and  it  was 
a  strange  one,  that  made  his  cheeks  to  burn. 

"I  must  make  sure  of  this,"  thought  he. 

So  he  closed  the  door,  and  went  softly  round  the  cor- 
ner again,  and  then  came  noisily  in,  as  though  he  were 
but  now  returned.  And,  lo!  by  the  time  he  opened  the 
front  door  no  bottle  was  to  be  seen ;  and  Kokua  sat  in 
a  chair  and  started  up  like  one  awakened  out  of  sleep. 

*'I  have  been  drinking  all  day  and  making  merry," 
said  Keawe.  "  I  have  been  with  good  companions,  and 
now  I  only  come  back  for  money,  and  return  to  drink 
and  carouse  with  them  again." 

Both  his  face  and  voice  were  as  stern  as  judgment, 
but  Kokua  was  too  troubled  to  observe. 

*' You  do  well  to  use  your  own,  my  husband,"  said 
she,  and  her  words  trembled. 

375 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

"Oh,  I  do  well  in  all  things,"  said  Keawe,  and  he 
went  straight  to  the  chest  and  took  out  money.  But 
he  looked  besides  in  the  corner  where  they  kept  the 
bottle,  and  there  was  no  bottle  there. 

At  that  the  chest  heaved  upon  the  floor  like  a  sea- 
billow,  and  the  house  span  about  him  like  a  wreath  of 
smoke,  for  he  saw  she  was  lost  now,  and  there  was  no 
escape.  "It  is  what  I  feared,"  he  thought.  "It  is  she 
who  has  bought  it." 

And  then  he  came  to  himself  a  little  and  rose  up ;  but 
the  sweat  streamed  on  his  face  as  thick  as  the  rain  and 
as  cold  as  the  well-water. 

"  Kokua,"  said  he,  "I  said  to  you  to-day  what  ill  be- 
came me.  Now  I  return  to  house  with  my  jolly  com- 
panions, "  and  at  that  he  laughed  a  little  quietly.  ' '  I  will 
take  more  pleasure  in  the  cup  if  you  forgive  me." 

She  clasped  his  knees  in  a  moment;  she  kissed  his 
knees  with  flowing  tears. 

"Oh,"  she  cried,  "I  asked  but  a  kind  word!" 

"Let  us  never  one  think  hardly  of  the  other,"  said 
Keawe,  and  was  gone  out  of  the  house. 

Now,  the  money  that  Keawe  had  taken  was  only 
some  of  that  store  of  centime  pieces  they  had  laid  in  at 
their  arrival.  It  was  very  sure  he  had  no  mind  to  be 
drinking.  His  wife  had  given  her  soul  for  him,  now  he 
must  give  his  for  hers;  no  other  thought  was  in  the 
world  with  him. 

At  the  corner,  by  the  old  calaboose,  there  was  the 
boatswain  waiting. 

"My  wife  has  the  bottle,"  said  Keawe,  "and,  unless 
you  help  me  to  recover  it,  there  can  be  no  more  money 
and  no  more  liquor  to-night." 

376 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

**  You  do  not  mean  to  say  you  are  serious  about  that 
bottle?"  cried  the  boatswain. 

** There  is  the  lamp,"  said  Keawe.  **Do  I  look  as  if 
I  was  jesting?" 

**That  is  so,"  said  the  boatswain.  *'You  look  as 
serious  as  a  ghost." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Keawe,  "here  are  two  centimes; 
you  must  go  to  my  wife  in  the  house,  and  offer  her  these 
for  the  bottle,  which  (if  I  am  not  much  mistaken)  she 
will  give  you  instantly.  Bring  it  to  me  here,  and  I  will 
buy  it  back  from  you  for  one ;  for  that  is  the  law  with 
this  bottle,  that  it  still  must  be  sold  for  a  less  sum.  But 
whatever  you  do,  never  breathe  a  word  to  her  that  you 
have  come  from  me." 

* '  Mate,  I  wonder  are  you  making  a  fool  of  me  ?  "  asked 
the  boatswain. 

"  It  will  do  you  no  harm  if  I  am,"  returned  Keawe. 

"That  is  so,  mate,"  said  the  boatswain. 

"And  if  you  doubt  me,"  added  Keawe,  "you  can 
try.  As  soon  as  you  are  clear  of  the  house,  wish  to  have 
your  pocket  full  of  money,  or  a  bottle  of  the  best  rum, 
or  what  you  please,  and  you  will  see  the  virtue  of  the 
thing." 

"  Very  well.  Kanaka,"  says  the  boatswain.  "  I  will 
try ;  but  if  you  are  having  your  fun  out  of  me,  I  will  take 
my  fun  out  of  you  with  a  belaying-pin." 

So  the  whaler-man  went  off  up  the  avenue;  and 
Keawe  stood  and  waited.  It  was  near  the  same  spot 
where  Kokua  had  waited  the  night  before;  but  Keawe 
was  more  resolved,  and  never  faltered  in  his  purpose; 
only  his  soul  was  bitter  with  despair. 

It  seemed  a  long  time  he  had  to  wait  before  he  heard 
377 


THE   BOTTLE  IMP 

a  voice  singing  in  the  darkness  of  the  avenue.  He  "knev^ 
the  voice  to  be  the  boatswain's;  but  it  was  strange  how 
drunken  it  appeared  upon  a  sudden. 

Next  the  man  himself  came  stumbling  into  the  light 
of  the  lamp.  He  had  the  devil's  bottle  buttoned  in  his 
coat;  another  bottle  was  in  his  hand;  and  even  as  he 
came  in  view  he  raised  it  to  his  mouth  and  drank. 

"  You  have  it,"  said  Keawe.     '*  I  see  that." 

*' Hands  off!"  cried  the  boatswain,  jumping  back. 
**  Take  a  step  near  me,  and  I'll  smash  your  mouth.  You 
thought  you  could  make  a  cat's  paw  of  me,  did  you  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  cried  Keawe. 

'*Mean?"  cried  the  boatswain.  **This  is  a  pretty 
good  bottle,  this  is ;  that's  what  I  mean.  How  I  got  it 
for  two  centimes  I  can't  make  out;  but  I  am  sure  you 
sha'n't  have  it  for  one." 

**  You  mean  you  won't  sell  ?  "  gasped  Keawe. 

''  No,  sir,"  cried  the  boatswain.  "  But  I'll  give  you 
a  drink  of  the  rum,  if  you  like." 

**  I  tell  you,"  said  Keawe,  *'the  man  who  has  that 
bottle  goes  to  hell." 

**I  reckon  I'm  going  anyway,"  returned  the  sailor; 
*'and  this  bottle's  the  best  thing  to  go  with  I've  struck 
yet.  No,  sir!  "  he  cried  again,  **  this  is  my  bottle  now, 
and  you  can  go  and  fish  for  another." 

"  Can  this  be  true  ?  "  Keawe  cried.  "  For  your  own 
sake,  I  beseech  you,  sell  it  me!  " 

*M  don't  value  any  of  your  talk,"  replied  the  boat- 
swain. "  You  thought  I  was  a  flat,  now  you  see  I'm 
not;  and  there's  an  end.  If  you  won't  have  a  swallow 
of  the  rum,  I'll  have  one  myself  Here's  your  health, 
and  good-night  to  you!" 

378 


THE  BOTTLE  IMP 

So  off  he  went  down  the  avenue  toward  town,  and 
there  goes  the  bottle  out  of  the  story. 

But  Keawe  ran  to  Kokua  light  as  the  wind;  and 
great  was  their  joy  that  night;  and  great,  since  then, 
has  been  the  peace  of  all  their  days  in  the  Bright 
House. 


W9 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

KEOLA  was  married  with  Lehua,  daughter  of  Kala- 
make,  the  wise  man  of  Molokai,  and  he  kept  his 
dwelling  with  the  father  of  his  wife.  There  was  no 
man  more  cunning  than  that  prophet;  he  read  the  stars, 
he  could  divine  by  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  and  by  the 
means  of  evil  creatures :  he  could  go  alone  into  the  high- 
est parts  of  the  mountain,  into  the  region  of  the  hob- 
goblins, and  there  he  would  lay  snares  to  entrap  the 
spirits  of  ancient. 

For  this  reason  no  man  was  more  consulted  in  all  the 
Kingdom  of  Hawaii.  Prudent  people  bought,  and  sold, 
and  married,  and  laid  out  their  lives  by  his  counsels; 
and  the  King  had  him  twice  to  Kona  to  seek  the  trea- 
sures of  Kamehameha.  Neither  was  any  man  more 
feared:  of  his  enemies,  some  had  dwindled  in  sickness 
by  the  virtue  of  his  incantations,  and  some  had  been 
spirited  away,  the  life  and  the  clay  both,  so  that  folk 
looked  in  vain  for  so  much  as  a  bone  of  their  bodies.  It 
was  rumoured  that  he  had  the  art  or  the  gift  of  the  old 
heroes.  Men  had  seen  him  at  night  upon  the  mountains, 
stepping  from  one  cliff  to  the  next;  they  had  seen  him 
walking  in  the  high  forest,  and  his  head  and  shoulders 
were  above  the  trees. 

Copyright,  1892,  1893,  1895,  by  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 


THE   ISLE  OF  VOICES 

This  Kalamake  was  a  strange  man  to  see.  He  was 
come  of  the  best  blood  in  Molokai  and  Maui,  of  a  pure 
descent;  and  yet  he  was  more  white  to  look  upon  than 
any  foreigner;  his  hair  the  color  of  dry  grass,  and  his 
eyes  red  and  very  blind,  so  that  "Blind  as  Kalamake 
that  can  see  across  to-morrow,"  was  a  byword  in  the 
islands. 

Of  all  these  doings  of  his  father-in-law,  Keola  knew 
a  little  by  the  common  repute,  a  little  more  he  suspected, 
and  the  rest  he  ignored.  But  there  was  one  thing 
troubled  him.  Kalamake  was  a  man  that  spared  for 
nothing,  whether  to  eat  or  to  drink,  or  to  wear;  and  for 
all  he  paid  in  bright  new  dollars.  *' Bright  as  Kala- 
make's  dollars,"  was  another  saying  in  the  Eight  Isles. 
Yet  he  neither  sold,  nor  planted,  nor  took  hire — only 
now  and  then  from  his  sorceries  —  and  there  was  no 
source  conceivable  for  so  much  silver  coin. 

It  chanced  one  day  Keola's  wife  was  gone  upon  a  visit 
to  Kaunakakai  on  the  lee  side  of  the  island,  and  the  men 
were  forth  at  the  sea-fishing.  But  Keola  was  an  idle 
dog,  and  he  lay  in  the  veranda  and  watched  the  surf 
beat  on  the  shore  and  the  birds  fly  about  the  cliff.  It 
was  a  chief  thought  with  him  always  —  the  thought  of 
the  bright  dollars.  When  he  lay  down  to  bed  he  would 
be  wondering  why  they  were  so  many,  and  when  he 
woke  at  morn  he  would  be  wondering  why  they  were 
all  new ;  and  the  thing  was  never  absent  from  his  mind. 
But  this  day  of  all  days  he  made  sure  in  his  heart  of 
some  discovery.  For  it  seems  he  had  observed  the  place 
where  Kalamake  kept  his  treasure,  which  was  a  lock- 
fast desk  against  the  parlour  wall,  under  the  print  of 
Kamehameha  the  fifth,   and  a  photograph  of  Queen 

384 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

Victoria  with  her  crown;  and  it  seems  again  that,  no 
later  than  the  night  before,  he  found  occasion  to  look  in, 
and  behold!  the  bag  lay  there  empty.  And  this  was 
the  day  of  the  steamer;  he  could  see  her  smoke  off 
Kalaupapa;  and  she  must  soon  arrive  with  a  month's 
goods,  tinned  salmon  and  gin,  and  all  manner  of  rare 
luxuries  for  Kalamake. 

''Now  if  he  can  pay  for  his  goods  to-day,"  Keola 
thought,  "I  shall  know  for  certain  that  the  man  is  a 
warlock,  and  the  dollars  come  out  of  the  Devil's  pocket." 

While  he  was  so  thinking,  there  was  his  father-in- 
law  behind  him,  looking  vexed. 

*'  Is  that  the  steamer  ?  "  he  asked. 

' '  Yes, "  said  Keola.  ' '  She  has  but  to  call  at  Pelekunu, 
and  then  she  will  be  here." 

** There  is  no  help  for  it  then,"  returned  Kalamake, 
"and  1  must  take  you  in  my  confidence,  Keola,  for  the 
lack  of  anyone  better.     Come  here  within  the  house." 

So  they  stepped  together  into  the  parlour,  which  was 
a  very  fine  room,  papered  and  hung  with  prints,  and 
furnished  with  a  rocking-chair,  and  a  table  and  a  sofa 
in  the  European  style.  There  was  a  shelf  of  books  be- 
sides, and  a  family  Bible  in  the  midst  of  the  table,  and 
the  lock-fast  writing-desk  against  the  wall;  so  that 
anyone  could  see  it  was  the  house  of  a  man  of  sub- 
stance. 

Kalamake  made  Keola  close  the  shutters  of  the  win- 
dows, while  he  himself  locked  all  the  doors  and  set 
open  the  lid  of  the  desk.  From  this  he  brought  forth  a 
pair  of  necklaces  hung  with  charms  and  shells,  a  bun- 
dle of  dried  herbs,  and  the  dried  leaves  of  trees,  and  a 
green  branch  of  palm. 

385 


THE   ISLE  OF   VOICES 

**What  I  am  about,"  said  he,  "  is  a  thing  beyond 
wonder.  The  men  of  old  were  wise;  they  wrought 
marvels,  and  this  among  the  rest ;  but  that  was  at 
night,  in  the  dark,  under  the  fit  stars  and  in  the  desert. 
The  same  will  I  do  here  in  my  own  house,  and  under 
the  plain  eye  of  day."  So  saying,  he  put  the  Bible  under 
the  cushion  of  the  sofa  so  that  it  was  all  covered,  brought 
out  from  the  same  place  a  mat  of  a  wonderfully  fine 
texture,  and  heaped  the  herbs  and  leaves  on  sand  in  a 
tin  pan.  And  then  he  and  Keola  put  on  the  necklaces, 
and  took  their  stand  upon  the  opposite  corners  of  the 
mat. 

"The  time  comes,"  said  the  warlock;  ''be  not 
afraid." 

With  that  he  set  flame  to  the  herbs,  and  began  to 
mutter  and  wave  the  branch  of  palm.  At  first  the  light 
was  dim  because  of  the  closed  shutters;  but  the  herbs 
caught  strongly  afire,  and  the  flames  beat  upon  Keola, 
and  the  room  glowed  with  the  burning;  and  next  the 
smoke  rose  and  made  his  head  swim  and  his  eyes 
darken,  and  the  sound  of  Kalamake  muttering  ran  in  his 
ears.  And  suddenly,  to  the  mat  on  which  they  were 
standing  came  a  snatch  or  twitch,  that  seemed  to  be 
more  swift  than  lightning.  In  the  same  wink  the  room 
was  gone,  and  the  house,  the  breath  all  beaten  from 
Keola's  body.  Volumes  of  sun  rolled  upon  his  eyes  and 
head,  and  he  found  himself  transported  to  a  beach  of  the 
sea,  under  a  strong  sun,  with  a  great  surf  roaring :  he 
and  the  warlock  standing  there  on  the  same  mat,  speech- 
less, gasping  and  grasping  at  one  another,  and  passing 
their  hands  before  their  eyes. 

**What  was  this  ?"  cried  Keola,  who  came  to  him- 
386 


THE   ISLE  OF  VOICES 

self  the  first,  because  he  was  the  younger.  '*  The  pang 
of  it  was  like  death." 

**It  matters  not,"  panted  Kalamake.  *Mt  is  now 
done." 

"And,  in  the  name  of  God,  where  are  we?"  cried 
Keola. 

**That  is  not  the  question,"  replied  the  sorcerer. 
''Being  here,  we  have  matter  in  our  hands,  and  that 
we  must  attend  to.  Go,  while  I  recover  my  breath, 
into  the  borders  of  the  wood,  and  bring  me  the  leaves 
of  such  and  such  an  herb,  and  such  and  such  a  tree, 
which  you  will  find  to  grow  there  plentifully  —  three 
handfuls  of  each.  And  be  speedy.  We  must  be  home 
again  before  the  steamer  comes ;  it  would  seem  strange 
if  we  had  disappeared."  And  he  sat  on  the  sand  and 
panted. 

Keola  went  up  the  beach,  which  was  of  shining  sand 
and  coral,  strewn  with  singular  shells;  and  he  thought 
in  his  heart: 

"  How  do  I  not  know  this  beach  ?  I  will  come  here 
again  and  gather  shells." 

In  front  of  him  was  a  line  of  palms  against  the  sky ; 
not  like  the  palms  of  the  Eight  Islands,  but  tall  and  fresh 
and  beautiful,  and  hanging  out  withered  fans  like  gold 
among  the  green,  and  he  thought  in  his  heart: 

"  It  is  strange  I  should  not  have  found  this  grove.  I 
will  come  here  again,  when  it  is  warm,  to  sleep."  And 
he  thought,  "How  warm  it  has  grown  suddenly!" 
For  it  was  winter  in  Hawaii,  and  the  day  had  been  chill. 
And  he  thought  also,  "  Where  are  the  grey  mountains  ? 
And  where  is  the  high  cliff  with  the  hanging  forest  and 
the  wheeling  birds  ?  "  And  the  more  he  considered,  the 

387 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

less  he  might  conceive  in  what  quarter  of  the  islands  he 
was  fallen. 

In  the  border  of  the  grove,  where  it  met  the  beach, 
the  herb  was  growing,  but  the  tree  further  back.  Now, 
as  Keola  went  toward  the  tree,  he  was  aware  of  a 
young  woman  who  had  nothing  on  her  body  but  a  belt 
of  leaves. 

''Well !  "  thought  Keola,  ''they  are  not  very  particu- 
lar about  their  dress  in  this  part  of  the  country."  And 
he  paused,  supposing  she  would  observe  him  and  es- 
cape ;  and  seeing  that  she  still  looked  before  her,  stood 
and  hummed  aloud.  Up  she  leaped  at  the  sound.  Her 
face  was  ashen ;  she  looked  this  way  and  that,  and  her 
mouth  gaped  with  the  terror  of  her  soul.  But  it  was  a 
strange  thing  that  her  eyes  did  not  rest  upon  Keola. 

"  Good-day,"  said  he.  "  You  need  not  be  so  fright- 
ened, I  will  not  eat  you."  And  he  had  scarce  opened 
his  mouth  before  the  young  woman  fled  into  the  bush. 

"These  are  strange  manners,"  thought  Keola,  and, 
not  thinking  what  he  did,  ran  after  her. 

As  she  ran,  the  girl  kept  crying  in  some  speech  that 
was  not  practised  in  Hawaii,  yet  some  of  the  words  were 
the  same,  and  he  knew  she  kept  calling  and  warning 
others.  And  presently  he  saw  more  people  running  — 
men,  women,  and  children,  one  with  another,  all  run- 
ning and  crying  like  people  at  a  fire.  And  with  that  he 
began  to  grow  afraid  himself,  and  returned  to  Kala- 
make  bringing  the  leaves.  Him  he  told  what  he  had 
seen. 

' '  You  must  pay  no  heed, "  said  Kalamake.  ' '  All  this 
is  like  a  dream  and  shadows.  All  will  disappear  and  be 
forgotten." 

388 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

"  It  seemed  none  saw  me,"  said  Keola. 

'*  And  none  did,"  replied  the  sorcerer.  **  We  walk 
here  in  the  broad  sun  invisible  by  reason  of  these  charms. 
Yet  they  hear  us ;  and  therefore  it  is  well  to  speak  softly, 
as  I  do." 

With  that  he  made  a  circle  round  the  mat  with  stones, 
and  in  the  midst  he  set  the  leaves. 

''It  will  be  your  part,"  said  he,  "to  keep  the  leaves 
alight,  and  feed  the  fire  slowly.  While  they  blaze  (which 
is  but  for  a  little  moment)  I  must  do  my  errand;  and 
before  the  ashes  blacken,  the  same  power  that  brought 
us  carries  us  away.  Be  ready  now  with  the  match; 
and  do  you  call  me  in  good  time  lest  the  flames  burn 
out  and  I  be  left." 

As  soon  as  the  leaves  caught,  the  sorcerer  leaped  like 
a  deer  out  of  the  circle,  and  began  to  race  along  the 
beach  like  a  hound  that  has  been  bathing.  As  he  ran, 
he  kept  stooping  to  snatch  shells;  and  it  seemed  to 
Keola  that  they  glittered  as  he  took  them.  The  leaves 
blazed  with  a  clear  flame  that  consumed  them  swiftly; 
and  presently  Keola  had  but  a  handful  left,  and  the  sor- 
cerer was  far  off,  running  and  stopping. 

' '  Back !  "  cried  Keola.  * '  Back !  The  leaves  are  near 
done." 

At  that  Kalamake  turned,  and  if  he  had  run  before, 
now  he  flew.  But  fast  as  he  ran,  the  leaves  burned 
faster.  The  flame  was  ready  to  expire  when,  with  a 
great  leap,  he  bounded  on  the  mat.  The  v/ind  of  his 
leaping  blew  it  out;  and  with  that  the  beach  was  gone, 
and  the  sun  and  the  sea;  and  they  stood  once  more  in 
the  dimness  of  the  shuttered  parlour,  and  were  once 
more  shaken  and  blinded;  and  on  the  mat  betwixt  them 

389 


THE  ISlE  of  voices 

lay  a  pile  of  shining  dollars.     Keola  ran  to  the  shutters; 
and  there  was  the  steamer  tossing  in  the  swell  close  in. 

The  same  night  Kalamake  took  his  son-in-law  apart, 
and  gave  him  five  dollars  in  his  hand. 

"Keola,"  said  he;  "if  you  are  a  wise  man  (which  I 
am  doubtful  of)  you  will  think  you  slept  this  afternoon 
on  the  veranda,  and  dreamed  as  you  were  sleeping.  I 
am  a  man  of  few  words,  and  I  have  for  my  helpers  peo- 
ple of  short  memories." 

Never  a  word  more  said  Kalamake,  nor  referred  again 
to  that  aflfa'V.  But  it  ran  all  the  while  in  Keola's  head 
—  if  he  were  lazy  before,  he  would  now  do  nothing. 

"Why  should  I  work,"  thought  he,  "when  I  have 
a  father-in-law  who  makes  dollars  of  seashells  ?" 

Presently  his  share  was  spent.  He  spent  it  all  upon 
fine  clothes.     And  then  he  was  sorry : 

*  *  For, "  thought  he,  "1  had  done  better  to  have  bought 
a  concertina,  with  which  I  might  have  entertained  my- 
self all  day  long."  And  then  he  began  to  grow  vexed 
with  Kalamake. 

'  *  This  man  has  the  soul  of  a  dog, "  thought  he.  * '  He 
can  gather  dollars  when  he  pleases  on  the  beach,  and 
he  leaves  me  to  pine  for  a  concertina!  Let  him  beware : 
I  am  no  child,  I  am  as  cunning  as  he,  and  hold  his  se- 
cret." With  that  he  spoke  to  his  wife  Lehua,  and  com- 
plained of  her  father's  manners. 

"I  would  let  my  father  be,"  said  Lehua.  "He  is  a 
dangerous  man  to  cross." 

"  I  care  that  for  him! "  cried  Keola;  and  snapped  his 
fingers.  "  I  have  him  by  the  nose.  I  can  make  him  do 
what  I  please."    And  he  told  Lehua  the  story. 

But  she  shook  her  head. 

390 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

'  *  You  may  do  what  you  like, "  said  she ;  ' '  but  as  sure 
as  you  thwart  my  father,  you  will  be  no  more  heard  of. 
Think  of  this  person,  and  that  person;  think  of  Hua, 
who  was  a  noble  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and 
went  to  Honolulu  every  year;  and  not  a  bone  or  a  hair 
of  him  was  found.  Remember  Kamau,  and  how  he 
wasted  to  a  thread,  so  that  his  wife  lifted  him  with  one 
hand.  Keola,  you  are  a  baby  in  my  father's  hands;  he 
will  take  you  with  his  thumb  and  finger  and  eat  you 
like  a  shrimp." 

Now  Keola  was  truly  afraid  of  Kalamake,  but  he  was 
vain  too ;  and  these  words  of  his  wife's  incensed  him. 

"Very  well,"  said  he,  *Mf  that  is  what  you  think  of 
me,  I  will  show  how  much  you  are  deceived."  And 
he  went  straight  to  where  his  father-in-law  was  sitting 
in  the  parlour. 

'*  Kalamake,"  said  he,  *'  I  want  a  concertina." 

"Do  you,  indeed?"  said  Kalamake. 

**  Yes,"  said  he,  "and  I  may  as  well  tell  you  plainly,  I 
mean  to  have  it.  A  man  who  picks  up  dollars  on  the 
beach  can  certainly  afford  a  concertina." 

"  I  had  no  idea  you  had  so  much  spirit,"  replied  the 
sorcerer.  "I  thought  you  were  a  timid,  useless  lad, 
and  I  cannot  describe  how  much  pleased  1  am  to  find  I 
was  mistaken.  Now  I  begin  to  think  1  may  have  found 
an  assistant  and  successor  in  my  difficult  business.  A 
concertina  ?  You  shall  have  the  best  in  Honolulu.  And 
to-night,  as  soon  as  it  is  dark,  you  and  I  will  go  and 
find  the  money." 

"  Shall  we  return  to  the  beach? "  asked  Keola. 

"No,  no!"  replied  Kalamake;  "you  must  begin  to 
learn  more  of  my  secrets.     Last  time  I  taught  you  to 

39^ 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

pick  shells;  this  time  I  shall  teach  you  to  catch  fish. 
Are  you  strong  enough  to  launch  Pili's  boat  ?  " 

'*  I  think  I  am,"  returned  Keola.  '*  But  why  should 
we  not  take  your  own,  which  is  afloat  already  ?  " 

"1  have  a  reason  which  you  will  understand  thor- 
oughly before  to-morrow,"  said  Kalamake.  **  Pili's  boat 
is  the  better  suited  for  my  purpose.  So,  if  you  please,  let 
us  meet  there  as  soon  as  it  is  dark ;  and  in  the  mean- 
while, let  us  keep  our  own  counsel,  for  there  is  no  cause 
to  let  the  family  into  our  business." 

Honey  is  not  more  sweet  than  was  the  voice  of  Kala- 
make, and  Keola  could  scarce  contain  his  satisfaction. 

' '  I  might  have  had  my  concertina  weeks  ago, ' '  thought 
he,  "and  there  is  nothing  needed  in  this  world  but  a 
little  courage." 

Presently  after  he  spied  Lehua  weeping,  and  was  half 
in  a  mind  to  tell  her  all  was  well. 

'*  But  no,"  thinks  he ;  "I  shall  wait  till  I  can  show  her 
the  concertina ;  we  shall  see  what  the  chit  will  do  then. 
Perhaps  she  will  understand  in  the  future  that  her  hus- 
band is  a  man  of  some  intelligence." 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark  father  and  son-in-law  launched 
Pili's  boat  and  set  the  sail.  There  was  a  great  sea,  and 
it  blew  strong  from  the  leeward ;  but  the  boat  was  swift 
and  light  and  dry,  and  skimmed  the  waves.  The  wiz- 
ard had  a  lantern,  which  he  lit  and  held  with  his  fmger 
through  the  ring;  and  the  two  sat  in  the  stern  and 
smoked  cigars,  of  which  Kalamake  had  always  a  pro- 
vision, and  spoke  like  friends  of  magic  and  the  great 
sums  of  money  which  they  could  make  by  its  exercise, 
and  what  they  should  buy  first,  and  what  second;  and 
Kalamake  talked  like  a  father. 

392 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

Presently  he  looked  all  about,  and  above  him  at  the 
stars,  and  back  at  the  island,  which  was  already  three 
parts  sunk  under  the  sea,  and  he  seemed  to  consider 
ripely  his  position. 

**Look!"  says  he,  "there  is  Molokai  already  far  be- 
hind us,  and  Maui  like  a  cloud ;  and  by  the  bearing  of 
these  three  stars  I  know  I  am  come  where  I  desire. 
This  part  of  the  sea  is  called  the  Sea  of  the  Dead.  It  is 
in  this  place  extraordinarily  deep,  and  the  floor  is  all 
covered  with  the  bones  of  men,  and  in  the  holes  of  this 
part  gods  and  goblins  keep  their  habitation.  The  flow 
of  the  sea  is  to  the  north,  stronger  than  a  shark  can  swim, 
and  any  man  who  shall  here  be  thrown  out  of  a  ship  it 
bears  away  like  a  wild  horse  into  the  uttermost  ocean. 
Presently  he  is  spent  and  goes  down,  and  his  bones  are 
scattered  with  the  rest,  and  the  gods  devour  his  spirit." 

Fear  came  on  Keola  at  the  words,  and  he  looked,  and 
by  the  light  of  the  stars  and  the  lantern,  the  warlock 
seemed  to  change. 

'*What  ails  you?"  cried  Keola,  quick  and  sharp. 

"It  is  not  I  who  am  ailing,"  said  the  wizard;  "but 
there  is  one  here  very  sick." 

With  that  he  changed  his  grasp  upon  the  lantern, 
and,  behold !  as  he  drew  his  finger  from  the  ring,  the 
finger  stuck  and  the  ring  was  burst,  and  his  hand  was 
grown  to  be  of  the  bigness  of  three. 

At  that  sight  Keola  screamed  and  covered  his  face. 

But  Kalamake  held  up  the  lantern.  "  Look  rather  at 
my  face ! "  said  he  —  and  his  head  was  huge  as  a  barrel ; 
and  still  he  grew  and  grew  as  a  cloud  grows  on  a  moun- 
tain, and  Keola  sat  before  him  screaming,  and  the  boat 
raced  on  the  great  seas. 

59? 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

*'And  now,"  said  the  wizard,  **  what  do  you  think 
about  that  concertina  ?  and  are  you  sure  you  would  not 
rather  have  a  flute  ?  No  ?"  says  he;  '*  that  is  well,  for 
I  do  not  like  my  family  to  be  changeable  of  purpose. 
But  I  begin  to  think  I  had  better  get  out  of  this  paltry 
boat,  for  my  bulk  swells  to  a  very  unusual  degree,  and 
if  we  are  not  the  more  careful,  she  will  presently  be 
swamped." 

With  that  he  threw  his  legs  over  the  side.  Even  as 
he  did  so,  the  greatness  of  the  man  grew  thirtyfold  and 
fortyfold  as  swift  as  sight  or  thinking,  so  that  he  stood 
in  the  deep  seas  to  the  armpits,  and  his  head  and  shoul- 
ders rose  like  a  high  isle,  and  the  swell  beat  and  burst 
upon  his  bosom,  as  it  beats  and  breaks  against  a  cliff. 
The  boat  ran  still  to  the  north,  but  he  reached  out  his 
hand,  and  took  the  gunwale  by  the  finger  and  thumb, 
and  broke  the  side  like  a  biscuit,  and  Keola  was  spilled 
into  the  sea.  And  the  pieces  of  the  boat  the  sorcerer 
crushed  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand  and  flung  miles  away 
into  the  night. 

'*  Excuse  me  taking  the  lantern,"  said  he ;  *'  for  I  have 
a  long  wade  before  me,  and  the  land  is  far,  and  the  bot- 
tom of  the  sea  uneven,  and  I  feel  the  bones  under  my 
toes." 

And  he  turned  and  went  off  walking  with  great  strides ; 
and  as  often  as  Keola  sank  in  the  trough  he  could  see 
him  no  longer;  but  as  often  as  he  was  heaved  upon  the 
crest,  there  he  was  striding  and  dwindling,  and  he  held 
the  lamp  high  over  his  head,  and  the  waves  broke  white 
about  him  as  he  went. 

Since  first  the  islands  were  fished  out  of  the  sea, 
there  was  never  a  man  so  terrified  as  this  Keola.     He 

394 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

swam  indeed,  but  he  swam  as  puppies  swim  when 
they  are  cast  in  to  drown,  and  knew  not  wherefore. 
He  could  but  think  of  the  hugeness  of  the  swelling  of 
the  warlock,  of  that  face  which  was  great  as  a  moun- 
tain, of  those  shoulders  that  were  broad  as  an  isle,  and 
of  the  seas  that  beat  on  them  in  vain.  He  thought,  too, 
of  the  concertina,  and  shame  took  hold  upon  him ;  and 
of  the  dead  men's  bones,  and  fear  shook  him. 

Of  a  sudden  he  was  aware  of  something  dark 
against  the  stars  that  tossed,  and  a  light  below,  and  a 
brightness  of  the  cloven  sea;  and  he  heard  speech  of 
men.  He  cried  out  aloud  and  a  voice  answered ;  and  in 
a  twinkling  the  bows  of  a  ship  hung  above  him  on  a 
wave  like  a  thing  balanced,  and  swooped  down.  He 
caught  with  his  two  hands  in  the  chains  of  her,  and 
the  next  moment  was  buried  in  the  rushing  seas,  and 
the  next  hauled  on  board  by  seamen. 

They  gave  him  gin  and  biscuit  and  dry  clothes,  and 
asked  him  how  he  came  where  they  found  him,  and 
whether  the  light  which  they  had  seen  was  the  light- 
house, Lae  o  Ka  Laau.  But  Keola  knew  white  men  are 
like  children  and  only  believe  their  own  stories;  so 
about  himself  he  told  them  what  he  pleased,  and  as  for 
the  light  (which  was  Kalamake's  lantern)  he  vowed  he 
had  seen  none. 

This  ship  was  a  schooner  bound  for  Honolulu,  and 
then  to  trade  in  the  low  islands ;  and  by  a  very  good 
chance  for  Keola  she  had  lost  a  man  off  the  bowsprit  in 
a  squall.  It  was  no  use  talking.  Keola  durst  not  stay 
in  the  Eight  Islands.  Word  goes  so  quickly,  and  all 
men  are  so  fond  to  talk  and  carry  news,  that  if  he  hid 
in  the  north  end  of  Kauai  or  in  the  south  end  of  KaD, 


THE   ISLE  OF  VOICES 

the  wizard  would  have  wind  of  it  before  a  month,  and 
he  must  perish.  So  he  did  what  seemed  the  most  pru- 
dent, and  shipped  sailor  in  the  place  of  the  man  who 
had  been  drowned. 

In  some  ways  the  ship  was  a  good  place.  The  food 
was  extraordinarily  rich  and  plenty,  with  biscuits  and 
salt  beef  every  day,  and  pea-soup  and  puddings  made 
of  flour  and  suet  twice  a  week,  so  that  Keola  grew  fat. 
The  captain  also  was  a  good  man,  and  the  crew  no 
worse  than  other  whites.  The  trouble  was  the  mate, 
who  was  the  most  difficult  man  to  please  Keola  had 
ever  met  with,  and  beat  and  cursed  him  daily,  both  for 
what  he  did  and  what  he  did  not.  The  blows  that  he 
dealt  were  very  sure,  for  he  was  strong;  and  the  words 
he  used  were  very  unpalatable,  for  Keola  was  come  of 
a  good  family  and  accustomed  to  respect.  And  what 
was  the  worst  of  all,  whenever  Keola  found  a  chance 
to  sleep,  there  was  the  mate  awake  and  stirring  him  up 
with  a  rope's  end.  Keola  saw  it  would  never  do ;  and 
he  made  up  his  mind  to  run  away. 

They  were  about  a  month  out  from  Honolulu  when 
they  made  the  land.  It  was  a  fine  starry  night,  the  sea 
was  smooth  as  well  as  the  sky  fair;  it  blew  a  steady 
trade ;  and  there  was  the  island  on  their  weather  bow, 
£L  ribbon  of  palm  trees  lying  flat  along  the  sea.  The 
captain  and  the  mate  looked  at  it  with  the  night  glass, 
find  named  the  name  of  it,  and  talked  of  it,  beside  the 
wheel  where  Keola  was  steering.  It  seemed  it  was  an 
isle  where  no  traders  came.  By  the  captain's  way,  it 
was  an  isle  besides  where  no  man  dwelt;  but  the  mate 
thought  otherwise. 

"  I  don't  give  a  cent  for  the  directory,"  said  he.  "  I've 
396 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

been  past  here  one  night  in  the  schooner  EugSnie:  it 
was  just  such  a  night  as  this ;  they  were  fishing  with 
torches,  and  the  beach  was  thick  with  lights  like  a 
town." 

'*  Well,  well,"  says  the  captain,  "it's  steep-to,  that's 
the  great  point;  and  there  ain't  any  outlying  dangers 
by  the  chart,  so  we'll  just  hug  the  lee  side  of  it.  Keep 
her  ramping  full,  don't  1  tell  you!  "  he  cried  to  Keola, 
who  was  listening  so  hard  that  he  forgot  to  steer. 

And  the  mate  cursed  him,  and  swore  that  Kanaka  was 
for  no  use  in  the  world,  and  if  he  got  started  after  him 
with  a  belaying  pin,  it  would  be  a  cold  day  for  Keola. 

And  so  the  captain  and  mate  lay  down  on  the  house 
together,  and  Keola  was  left  to  himself. 

*'This  island  will  do  very  well  for  me,"  he  thought; 
"if  no  traders  deal  there,  the  mate  will  never  come. 
And  as  for  Kalamake,  it  is  not  possible  he  can  ever  get 
as  far  as  this." 

With  that  he  kept  edging  the  schooner  nearer  in.  He 
had  to  do  this  quietly,  for  it  was  the  trouble  with  these 
white  men,  and  above  all  with  the  mate,  that  you  could 
never  be  sure  of  them ;  they  would  all  be  sleeping  sound, 
or  else  pretending,  and  if  a  sail  shook,  they  would  jump 
to  their  feet  and  fall  on  you  with  a  rope's  end.  So  Ke- 
ola edged  her  up  little  by  little,  and  kept  all  drawing. 
And  presently  the  land  was  close  on  board,  and  the 
sound  of  the  sea  on  the  sides  of  it  grew  loud. 

With  that,  the  mate  sat  up  suddenly  upon  the  house. 

*  *  What  are  you  doing .?  "  he  roars.  '  *  You'll  have  the 
ship  ashore!" 

And  he  made  one  bound  for  Keola,  and  Keola  made 
another  clean  over  the  rail  and  plump  into  the  starry 

397 


THE   ISLE  OF  VOICES 

sea.  When  he  came  up  again,  the  schooner  had  payed 
off  on  her  true  course,  and  the  mate  stood  by  the  wheel 
himself,  and  Keola  heard  him  cursing.  The  sea  was 
smooth  under  the  lee  of  the  island ;  it  was  warm  be- 
sides, and  Keola  had  his  sailor's  knife,  so  he  had  no  fear 
of  sharks.  A  little  way  before  him  the  trees  stopped; 
there  was  a  break  in  the  line  of  the  land  like  the  mouth 
of  a  harbour;  and  the  tide,  which  was  then  flowing, 
took  him  up  and  carried  him  through.  One  minute  he 
was  without,  and  the  next  within,  had  floated  there  in 
a  wide  shallow  water,  bright  with  ten  thousand  stars, 
and  all  about  him  was  the  ring  of  the  land,  with  its 
string  of  palm-trees.  And  he  was  amazed,  because  this 
was  a  kind  of  island  he  had  never  heard  of 

The  time  of  Keola  in  that  place  was  in  two  periods  — 
the  period  when  he  was  alone,  and  the  period  when  he 
was  there  with  the  tribe.  At  first  he  sought  every- 
where and  found  no  man;  only  some  houses  standing 
in  a  hamlet,  and  the  marks  of  fires.  But  the  ashes  of 
the  fires  were  cold  and  the  rains  had  washed  them 
away;  and  the  winds  had  blown,  and  some  of  the  huts 
were  overthrown.  It  was  here  he  took  his  dwelling; 
and  he  made  afire  drill,  and  a  shell  hook,  and  fished  and 
cooked  his  fish,  and  climbed  after  green  cocoanuts,  the 
juice  of  which  he  drank,  for  in  all  the  isle  there  was  no 
water.  The  days  were  long  to  him,  and  the  nights  terri- 
fying. He  made  a  lamp  of  cocoa-shell,  and  drew  the  oil 
of  the  ripe  nuts,  and  made  a  wick  of  fibre ;  and  when 
evening  came  he  closed  up  his  hut,  and  lit  his  lamp,  and 
lay  and  trembled  till  morning.  Many  a  time  he  thought 
in  his  heart  he  would  have  been  better  in  the  bottom  of 
the  sea,  his  bones  rolling  there  with  the  others. 

398 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

All  this  while  he  kept  by  the  inside  of  the  island,  for 
the  huts  were  on  the  shore  of  the  lagoon,  and  it  was 
there  the  palms  grew  best,  and  the  lagoon  itself 
abounded  with  good  fish.  And  to  the  outer  side  he 
went  once  only,  and  he  looked  but  once  at  the  beach 
of  the  ocean,  and  came  away  shaking.  For  the  look  of 
it,  with  its  bright  sand,  and  strewn  shells,  and  strong 
sun  and  surf,  went  sore  against  his  inclination. 

*' It  cannot  be,"  he  thought,  "and  yet  it  is  very  like. 
And  how  do  I  know  ?  These  white  men,  although 
they  pretend  to  know  where  they  are  sailing,  must  take 
their  chance  like  other  people.  So  that  after  all  we  may 
have  sailed  in  a  circle,  and  1  may  be  quite  near  to  Molo- 
kai,  and  this  may  be  the  very  beach  where  my  father- 
in-law  gathers  his  dollars." 

So  after  that  he  was  prudent,  and  kept  to  the  land 
side. 

It  was  perhaps  a  month  later,  when  the  people  of  the 
place  arrived  —  the  fill  of  six  great  boats.  They  were  a 
fine  race  of  men,  and  spoke  a  tongue  that  sounded  very 
different  from  the  tongue  of  Hawaii,  but  so  many  of  the 
words  were  the  same  that  it  was  not  difficult  to  under- 
stand. The  men  besides  were  very  courteous,  and  the 
women  very  towardly ;  and  they  made  Keola  welcome, 
and  built  him  a  house,  and  gave  him  a  wife;  and  what 
surprised  him  the  most,  he  was  never  sent  to  work 
with  the  young  men. 

And  now  Keola  had  three  periods.  First  he  had  a 
period  of  being  very  sad,  and  then  he  had  a  period  when 
he  was  pretty  merry.  Last  of  all  came  the  third,  when 
he  was  the  most  terrified  man  in  the  four  oceans. 

The  cause  of  the  first  period  was  the  girl  he  had  to 
399 


THE   ISLE  OF  VOICES 

wife.  He  was  in  doubt  about  the  island,  and  he  might 
have  been  in  doubt  about  the  speech,  of  which  he  had 
heard  so  little  when  he  came  there  with  the  wizard  on 
the  mat.  But  about  his  wife  there  was  no  mistake  con- 
ceivable, for  she  was  the  same  girl  that  ran  from  him 
crying  in  the  wood.  So  he  had  sailed  all  this  way,  and 
might  as  well  have  stayed  in  Molokai ;  and  had  left 
home  and  wife  and  all  his  friends  for  no  other  cause  but 
to  escape  his  enemy,  and  the  place  he  had  come  to  was 
that  wizard's  hunting  ground,  and  the  place  where  he 
walked  invisible.  It  was  at  this  period  when  he  kept 
the  most  close  to  the  lagoon  side,  and  as  far  as  he  dared, 
abode  in  the  cover  of  his  hut. 

The  cause  of  the  second  period  was  talk  he  heard  from 
his  wife  and  the  chief  islanders.  Keola  himself  said  lit- 
tle. He  was  never  so  sure  of  his  new  friends,  for  he 
judged  they  were  too  civil  to  be  wholesome,  and  since 
he  had  grown  better  acquainted  with  his  father-in-law 
the  man  had  grown  more  cautious.  So  he  told  them 
nothing  of  himself,  but  only  his  name  and  descent, 
and  that  he  came  from  the  Eight  Islands,  and  what  fine 
islands  they  were;  and  about  the  king's  palace  in  Hon- 
olulu, and  how  he  was  a  chief  friend  of  the  king  and  the 
missionaries.  But  he  put  many  questions  and  learned 
much.  The  island  where  he  was  was  called  the  Isle 
of  Voices ;  it  belonged  to  the  tribe,  but  they  made  their 
home  upon  another,  three  hours'  sail  to  the  south- 
ward. There  they  lived  and  had  their  permanent 
houses,  and  it  was  a  rich  island,  where  were  eggs  and 
chickens  and  pigs,  and  ships  came  trading  with  rum 
and  tobacco.  It  was  there  the  schooner  had  gone  after 
Keola  deserted ;  there,  too,  the  mate  had  died,  like  the 

400 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

fool  of  a  white  man  as  he  was.  It  seems,  when  the  ship 
came,  it  was  the  beginning  of  the  sickly  season  in  that 
isle,  when  the  fish  of  the  lagoon  are  poisonous,  and 
all  who  eat  of  them  swell  up  and  die.  The  mate  was 
told  of  it ;  he  saw  the  boats  preparing,  because  in  that 
season  the  people  leave  that  island  and  sail  to  the  Isle 
of  Voices ;  but  he  was  a  fool  of  a  white  man,  who  would 
believe  no  stories  but  his  own,  and  he  caught  one  of 
these  fish,  cooked  it  and  ate  it,  and  swelled  up  and 
died,  which  was  good  news  to  Keola.  As  for  the  Isle 
of  Voices,  it  lay  solitary  the  most  part  of  the  year,  only 
now  and  then  a  boat's  crew  came  for  copra,  and  in  the 
bad  season,  when  the  fish  at  the  main  isle  were  poison- 
ous, the  tribe  dwelt  there  in  a  body.  It  had  its  name 
from  a  marvel,  for  it  seemed  the  seaside  of  it  was  all  be- 
set with  invisible  devils;  day  and  night  you  heard  them 
talking  one  with  another  in  strange  tongues;  day  and 
night  little  fires  blazed  up  and  were  extinguished  on  the 
beach ;  and  what  was  the  cause  of  these  doings  no  man 
might  conceive.  Keola  asked  them  if  it  were  the  same 
in  their  own  island  where  they  stayed,  and  they  told 
him  no,  not  there ;  nor  yet  in  any  other  of  some  hundred 
isles  that  lay  all  about  them  in  that  sea;  but  it  was  a 
thing  peculiar  to  the  Isle  of  Voices.  They  told  him  also 
that  these  fires  and  voices  were  ever  on  the  seaside  and 
in  the  seaward  fringes  of  the  wood,  and  a  man  might 
dwell  by  the  lagoon  two  thousand  years  (if  he  could 
live  so  long)  and  never  be  any  way  troubled;  and  even 
on  the  seaside  the  devils  did  no  harm  if  let  alone.  Only 
once  a  chief  had  cast  a  spear  at  one  of  the  voices,  and 
the  same  night  he  fell  out  of  a  cocoanut-palm  and  was 
killed. 

401 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

Keola  thought  a  good  bit  with  himself.  He  saw  he 
would  be  all  right  when  the  tribe  returned  to  the  main 
island,  and  right  enough  where  he  was,  if  he  kept  by 
the  lagoon,  yet  he  had  a  mind  to  make  things  righter 
if  he  could.  So  he  told  the  high  chief  he  had  once  been 
in  an  isle  that  was  pestered  the  same  way,  and  the  folk 
had  found  a  means  to  cure  that  trouble. 

**  There  was  a  tree  growing  in  the  bush  there,"  says 
he,  '*and  it  seems  these  devils  came  to  get  the  leaves 
of  it.  So  the  people  of  the  isle  cut  down  the  tree 
wherever  it  was  found,  and  the  devils  came  no  more." 

They  asked  what  kind  of  a  tree  this  was,  and  he 
showed  them  the  tree  of  which  Kalamake  burned  the 
leaves.  They  found  it  hard  to  believe,  yet  the  idea 
tickled  them.  Night  after  night  the  old  men  debated  it 
in  their  councils,  but  the  high  chief  (though  he  was  a 
brave  man)  was  afraid  of  the  matter,  and  reminded  them 
daily  of  the  chief  who  cast  a  spear  against  the  voices  and 
was  killed,  and  the  thought  of  that  brought  all  to  a 
stand  again. 

Though  he  could  not  yet  bring  about  the  destruction 
of  the  trees,  Keola  was  well  enough  pleased,  and  began 
to  look  about  him  and  take  pleasure  in  his  days ;  and, 
among  other  things,  he  was  the  kinder  to  his  wife,  so 
that  the  girl  began  to  love  him  greatly.  One  day  he 
came  to  the  hut,  and  she  lay  on  the  ground  lamenting. 

"Why,"  said  Keola,  "what  is  wrong  with  you 
now?" 

She  declared  it  was  nothing. 

The  same  night  she  woke  him.  The  lamp  burned 
very  low,  but  he  saw  by  her  face  she  was  in  sorrow. 

"Keola,"  she  said,  "put  your  ear  to  my  mouth  that 
402 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

1  may  whisper,  for  no  one  must  hear  us.  Two  days 
before  the  boats  begin  to  be  got  ready,  go  you  to  the 
sea-side  of  the  isle  and  lie  in  a  thicket.  We  shall  choose 
that  place  beforehand,  you  and  I;  and  hide  food;  and 
every  night  I  shall  come  near  by  there  singing.  So  when 
a  night  comes  and  you  do  not  hear  me,  you  shall  know 
we  are  clean  gone  out  of  the  island,  and  you  may  come 
forth  again  in  safety." 

The  soul  of  Keola  died  within  him. 

"What  is  this? "he  cried.  "I  cannot  live  among 
devils.  I  will  not  be  left  behind  upon  this  isle.  I  am  dy- 
ing to  leave  it." 

"You  will  never  leave  it  alive,  my  poor  Keola,"  said 
the  girl;  "for  to  tell  you  the  truth,  my  people  are  eaters 
of  men ;  but  this  they  keep  secret.  And  the  reason  they 
will  kill  you  before  we  leave  is  because  in  our  island 
ships  come,  and  Donat-Kimaran  comes  and  talks  for 
the  French,  and  there  is  a  white  trader  there  in  a  house 
with  a  veranda,  and  a  catechist.  Oh,  that  is  a  fine  place 
indeed!  The  trader  has  barrels  filled  with  flour;  and  a 
French  warship  once  came  in  the  lagoon  and  gave  every- 
body wine  and  biscuit.  Ah,  my  poor  Keola,  I  wish  I 
could  take  you  there,  for  great  is  my  love  to  you,  and  it 
is  the  finest  place  in  the  seas  except  Papeete." 

So  now  Keola  was  the  most  terrified  man  in  the  four 
oceans.  He  had  heard  tell  of  eaters  of  men  in  the  south 
islands,  and  the  thing  had  always  been  a  fear  to  him ; 
and  here  it  was  knocking  at  his  door.  He  had  heard 
besides,  by  travellers,  of  their  practices,  and  how  when 
they  are  in  a  mind  to  eat  a  man,  they  cherish  and  fondle 
him  like  a  mother  with  a  favourite  baby.  And  he  saw 
this  must  be  his  own  case ;  and  that  was  why  he  had 

403 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

been  housed,  and  fed,  and  wived,  and  liberated  from  all 
work;  and  why  the  old  men  and  the  chiefs  discoursed 
with  him  like  a  person  of  weight.  So  he  lay  on  his  bed 
and  railed  upon  his  destiny ;  and  the  flesh  curdled  on  his 
bones. 

The  next  day  the  people  of  the  tribe  were  very  civil, 
as  their  way  was.  They  were  elegant  speakers,  and 
they  made  beautiful  poetry,  and  jested  at  meals,  so  that 
a  missionary  must  have  died  laughing.  It  was  little 
enough  Keola  cared  for  their  fine  ways ;  all  he  saw  was 
the  white  teeth  shining  in  their  mouths,  and  his  gorge 
rose  at  the  sight;  and  when  they  were  done  eating,  he 
went  and  lay  in  the  bush  like  a  dead  man. 

The  next  day  it  was  the  same,  and  then  his  wife  fol- 
lowed him. 

"Keola,"  she  said,  *'if  you  do  not  eat,  I  tell  you 
plainly  you  will  be  killed  and  cooked  to-morrow.  Some 
of  the  old  chiefs  are  murmuring  already.  They  think 
you  are  fallen  sick  and  must  lose  flesh." 

With  that  Keola  got  to  his  feet,  and  anger  burned  in 
him. 

'Mt  is  little  I  care  one  way  or  the  other,"  said  he.  "I 
am  between  the  devil  and  the  deep  sea.  Since  die  I 
must,  let  me  die  the  quickest  way ;  and  since  I  must  be 
eaten  at  the  best  of  it,  let  me  rather  be  eaten  by  hob- 
goblins than  by  men.  Farewell,"  said  he,  and  he  left 
her  standing,  and  walked  to  the  sea-side  of  that  island. 

It  was  all  bare  in  the  strong  sun ;  there  was  no  sign  of 
man,  only  the  beach  was  trodden,  and  all  about  him  as 
he  went,  the  voices  talked  and  whispered,  and  the  little 
fires  sprang  up  and  burned  down.  All  tongues  of  the 
earth  were  spoken  there:  the  French,  the  Dutch,  the 

404 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

Russian,  the  Tamil,  the  Chinese.  Whatever  land  knew 
sorcery,  there  were  some  of  its  people  whispering  in 
Keola's  ear.  That  beach  was  thick  as  a  cried  fair,  yet 
no  man  seen;  and  as  he  walked  he  saw  the  shells 
vanish  before  him,  and  no  man  to  pick  them  up.  I 
think  the  devil  would  have  been  afraid  to  be  alone  in 
such  a  company ;  but  Keola  was  past  fear  and  courted 
death.  When  the  fires  sprang  up,  he  charged  for  them 
like  a  bull.  Bodiless  voices  called  to  and  fro;  unseen 
hands  poured  sand  upon  the  flames;  and  they  were 
gone  from  the  be-ach  before  he  reached  them. 

*'It  is  plain  Kalamake  is  not  here,"  he  thought,  *'as 
I  must  have  been  killed  long  since." 

With  that  he  sat  him  down  in  the  margin  of  the  wood, 
for  he  was  tired,  and  put  his  chin  upon  his  hands.  The 
business  before  his  eyes  continued;  the  beach  babbled 
with  voices,  and  the  fires  sprang  up  and  sank,  and  the 
shells  vanished  and  were  renewed  again  even  while  he 
looked. 

"It  was  a  by-day  when  I  was  here  before,"  he 
thought,  ''for  it  was  nothing  to  this." 

And  his  head  was  dizzy  with  the  thought  of  these 
millions  and  millions  of  dollars,  and  all  these  hundreds 
and  hundreds  of  persons  culling  them  upon  the  beach 
and  flying  in  the  air  higher  and  swifter  than  eagles. 

"And  to  think  how  they  have  fooled  me  with  their 
talk  of  mints,"  says  he,  "and  that  money  was  made 
there,  when  it  is  clear  that  all  the  new  coin  in  all  the 
world  is  gathered  on  these  sands !  But  I  will  know  better 
the  next  time! "  said  he. 

And  at  last,  he  knew  not  very  well  how  or  when,  sleep 
fell  on  Keola,  and  he  forgot  the  island  and  all  his  sorrows. 

405 


THE   ISLE  OF  VOICES 

Early  the  next  day,  before  the  sun  was  yet  up,  a  bus- 
tle woke  him.  He  awoke  in  fear,  for  he  thought  the 
tribe  had  caught  him  napping;  but  it  was  no  such  mat- 
ter. Only,  on  the  beach  in  front  of  him,  the  bodiless 
voices  called  and  shouted  one  upon  another,  and  it 
seemed  they  all  passed  and  swept  beside  him  up  the 
coast  of  the  island. 

*' What  is  afoot  now  ?"  thinks  Keola.  And  it  was 
plain  to  him  it  was  something  beyond  ordinary,  for  the 
fires  were  not  lighted  nor  the  shells  taken,  but  the  bodi- 
less voices  kept  posting  up  the  beach,  and  hailing  and 
dying  away;  and  others  following,  and  by  the  sound  of 
them  these  wizards  should  be  angry. 

'*  It  is  not  me  they  are  angry  at,"  thought  Keola,  ''for 
they  pass  me  close." 

As  when  hounds  go  by,  or  horses  in  a  race,  or  city 
folk  coursing  to  a  fire,  and  all  men  join  and  follow  after, 
so  it  was  now  with  Keola;  and  he  knew  not  what  he 
did,  nor  why  he  did  it,  but  there,  lo  and  behold!  he 
was  running  with  the  voices. 

So  he  turned  one  point  of  the  island,  and  this  brought 
him  in  view  of  a  second ;  and  there  he  remembered  the 
wizard  trees  to  have  been  growing  by  the  score  together 
in  a  wood.  From  this  point  there  went  up  a  hubbub 
of  men  crying  not  to  be  described;  and  by  the  sound 
of  them,  those  that  he  ran  with  shaped  their  course  for 
the  same  quarter.  A  little  nearer,  and  there  began  to 
mingle  with  the  outcry  the  crash  of  many  axes.  And 
at  this  a  thought  came  at  last  into  his  mind  that  the  high 
chief  had  consented;  that  the  men  of  the  tribe  had  set 
to  cutting  down  these  trees ;  that  word  had  gone  about 
the  isle  from  sorcerer  to  sorcerer,  and  these  were  all 

406 


THE  ISLE  OF  VOICES 

now  assembling  to  defend  their  trees.  Desire  of  strange 
things  swept  him  on.  He  posted  with  the  voices, 
crossed  the  beach,  and  came  into  the  borders  of  the 
wood,  and  stood  astonished.  One  tree  had  fallen,  others 
were  part  hewed  away.  There  was  the  tribe  clustered. 
They  were  back  to  back,  and  bodies  lay,  and  blood 
flowed  among  their  feet.  The  hue  of  fear  was  on  all 
their  faces ;  their  voices  went  up  to  heaven  shrill  as  a 
weasel's  cry. 

Have  you  seen  a  child  when  he  is  all  alone  and  has  a 
wooden  sword,  and  fights,  leaping  and  hewing  with 
the  empty  air  ?  Even  so  the  man-eaters  huddled  back 
to  back,  and  heaved  up  their  axes,  and  laid  on,  and 
screamed  as  they  laid  on,  and  behold!  no  man  to  con- 
tend with  them !  only  here  and  there  Keola  saw  an  axe 
swinging  over  against  them  without  hands;  and  time 
and  again  a  man  of  the  tribe  would  fall  before  it,  clove 
in  twain  or  burst  asunder,  and  his  soul  sped  howling. 

For  a  while  Keola  looked  upon  this  prodigy  like  one 
that  dreams,  and  then  fear  took  him  by  the  midst  as 
sharp  as  death,  that  he  should  behold  such  doings. 
Even  in  that  same  flash  the  high  chief  of  the  clan  espied 
him  standing,  and  pointed  and  called  out  his  name. 
Thereat  the  whole  tribe  saw  him  also,  and  their  eyes 
flashed,  and  their  teeth  clashed. 

"  I  am  too  long  here,"  thought  Keola,  and  ran  farther 
out  of  the  wood  and  down  the  beach,  not  caring 
whither. 

"  Keola! "  said  a  voice  close  by  upon  the  empty  sand. 

''Lehua!  is  that  you!"  he  cried,  and  gasped,  and 

looked  in  vain  for  her;  but  by  the  eyesight  he  was  stark 

alone. 

407 


THE   ISLE  OF  VOICES 

**  I  saw  you  pass  before,"  the  voice  answered;  ''but 
you  would  not  hear  me.  Quick!  get  the  leaves  and 
the  herbs,  and  let  us  flee." 

*'  You  are  there  with  the  mat  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Here,  at  your  side,"  said  she.  And  he  felt  her  arms 
about  him.  "Quick!  the  leaves  and  the  herbs,  before 
my  father  can  get  back! " 

So  Keola  ran  for  his  life,  and  fetched  the  wizard  fuel ; 
and  Lehua  guided  him  back,  and  set  his  feet  upon  the 
mat,  and  made  the  fire.  All  the  time  of  its  burning, 
the  sound  of  the  battle  towered  out  of  the  wood ;  the 
wizards  and  the  man-eaters  hard  at  fight ;  the  wizards, 
the  viewless  ones,  roaring  out  aloud  like  bulls  upon  a 
mountain,  and  the  men  of  the  tribe  replying  shrill  and 
savage  out  of  the  terror  of  their  souls.  And  all  the 
time  of  the  burning,  Keola  stood  there  and  listened,  and 
shook,  and  watched  how  the  unseen  hands  of  Lehua 
poured  the  leaves.  She  poured  them  fast,  and  the  flame 
burned  high,  and  scorched  Keola's  hands;  and  she 
speeded  and  blew  the  burning  with  her  breath.  The 
last  leaf  was  eaten,  the  flame  fell,  and  the  shock  fol- 
lowed, and  there  were  Keola  and  Lehua  in  the  room  at 
home. 

Now,  when  Keola  could  see  his  wife  at  last  he  was 
mighty  pleased,  and  he  was  mighty  pleased  to  be  home 
again  in  Molokai  and  sit  down  beside  a  bowl  of  poi — ■ 
for  they  make  no  poi  on  board  ships,  and  there  was 
none  in  the  Isle  of  Voices  —  and  he  was  out  of  the  body 
with  pleasure  to  be  clean  escaped  out  of  the  hands  of 
the  eaters  of  men.  But  there  was  another  matter  not 
so  clear,  and  Lehua  and  Keola  talked  of  it  all  night  and 
were  troubled.     There  was  Kalamake  left  upon  the  isle. 

408 


THE   ISLE  OF  VOICES 

If,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  he  could  but  stick  there,  all 
were  well ;  but  should  he  escape  and  return  to  Molokai, 
it  would  be  an  ill  day  for  his  daughter  and  her  husband. 
They  spoke  of  his  gift  of  swelling,  and  whether  he  could 
wade  that  distance  in  the  seas.  But  Keola  knew  by 
this  time  where  that  island  was  —  and  that  is  to  say,  in 
the  Low  or  Dangerous  Archipelago.  So  they  fetched 
the  atlas  and  looked  upon  the  distance  in  the  map,  and 
by  what  they  could  make  of  it,  it  seemed  a  far  way  for 
an  old  gentleman  to  walk.  Still,  it  would  not  do  to 
make  too  sure  of  a  warlock  like  Kalamake,  and  they 
determined  at  last  to  take  counsel  of  a  white  missionary. 

So  the  first  one  that  came  by  Keola  told  him  every- 
thing. And  the  missionary  was  very  sharp  on  him  for 
taking  the  second  wife  in  the  low  island ;  but  for  all  the 
rest,  he  vowed  he  could  make  neither  head  nor  tail  of 
it. 

"However,"  says  he,  ''if  you  think  this  money  of 
your  father's  ill-gotten,  my  advice  to  you  would  be  give 
some  of  it  to  the  lepers  and  some  to  the  missionary  fund. 
And  as  for  this  extraordinary  rigmarole,  you  cannot  do 
better  than  keep  it  to  yourselves." 

But  he  warned  the  police  at  Honolulu  that,  by  all  he 
could  make  out,  Kalamake  and  Keola  had  been  coining 
false  money,  and  it  would  not  be  amiss  to  watch  them. 

Keola  and  Lehua  took  his  advice,  and  gave  many 
dollars  to  the  lepers  and  the  fund.  And  no  doubt  the 
advice  must  have  been  good,  for  from  that  day  to  this, 
Kalamake  has  never  more  been  heard  of.  But  whether 
he  was  slain  in  the  battle  by  the  trees,  or  whether  he 
is  still  kicking  his  heels  upon  the  Isle  of  Voices,  who 
shall  say  ? 

409 


FATHER  DAMIEN 


FATHER  DAMIEN 

AN   OPEN   LETTER  TO  THE   REVEREND   DR.   HYDE 
OF  HONOLULU 

Sydney,  February  25^  i8go. 
Sir, —  It  may  probably  occur  to  you  that  we  have  met, 
and  visited,  and  conversed ;  on  my  side,  with  interest. 
You  may  remember  that  you  have  done  me  several 
courtesies,  for  which  I  was  prepared  to  be  grateful.  But 
there  are  duties  which  come  before  gratitude,  and  of- 
fences which  justly  divide  friends,  far  more  acquaint- 
ances. Your  letter  to  the  Reverend  H.  B.  Gage  is  a 
document  which,  in  my  sight,  if  you  had  filled  me  with 
bread  when  I  was  starving,  if  you  had  sat  up  to  nurse 
my  father  when  he  lay  a-dying,  would  yet  absolve  me 
from  the  bonds  of  gratitude.  You  know  enough,  doubt- 
less, of  the  process  of  canonisation  to  be  aware  that,  a 
hundred  years  after  the  death  of  Damien,  there  will  ap- 
pear a  man  charged  with  the  painful  office  of  the  devil's 
advocate.  After  that  noble  brother  of  mine,  and  of  all 
frail  clay,  shall  have  lain  a  century  at  rest,  one  shall  ac- 
cuse, one  defend  him.  The  circumstance  is  unusual 
that  the  devil's  advocate  should  be  a  volunteer,  should 
be  a  member  of  a  sect  immediately  rival,  and  should 
make  haste  to  take  upon  himself  his  ugly  office  ere  the 
bones  are  cold;  unusual,  and  of  a  taste  which  I  shall 

413 


FATHER  DAMIEN 

leave  my  readers  free  to  qualify ;  unusual,  and  to  me  in- 
spiring. If  I  have  at  all  learned  the  trade  of  using  words 
to  convey  truth  and  to  arouse  emotion,  you  have  at  last 
furnished  me  with  a  subject.  For  it  is  in  the  interest  of 
all  mankind  and  the  cause  of  public  decency  in  every 
quarter  of  the  world,  not  only  that  Damien  should  be 
righted,  but  that  you  and  your  letter  should  be  displayed 
at  length,  in  their  true  colours,  to  the  public  eye. 

To  do  this  properly,  I  must  begin  by  quoting  you  at 
large:  I  shall  then  proceed  to  criticise  your  utterance 
from  several  points  of  view,  divine  and  human,  in  the 
course  of  which  I  shall  attempt  to  draw  again  and  with 
more  specification  the  character  of  the  dead  saint  whom 
it  has  pleased  you  to  vilify :  so  much  being  done,  I  shall 
say  farewell  to  you  for  ever. 

''Honolulu,  August 2,  1889, 
''Rev.  H.  B.  Gage. 

''Dear  Brother, — In  answer  to  your  inquiries  about 
Father  Damien,  I  can  only  reply  that  we  who  knew  the 
man  are  surprised  at  the  extravagant  newspaper  lauda- 
tions, as  if  he  was  a  most  saintly  philanthropist.  The 
simple  truth  is,  he  was  a  coarse,  dirty  man,  headstrong 
and  bigoted.  He  was  not  sent  to  Molokai,  but  went 
there  without  orders;  did  not  stay  at  the  leper  settle- 
ment (before  he  became  one  himself),  but  circulated 
freely  over  the  whole  island  (less  than  half  the  island  is 
devoted  to  the  lepers),  and  he  came  often  to  Honolulu. 
He  had  no  hand  in  the  reforms  and  improvements  in- 
augurated, which  were  the  work  of  our  Board  of  Health, 
as  occasion  required  and  means  were  provided.  He  was 
not  a  pure  man  in  his  relations  with  women,  and  the 

414 


FATHER  DAMIEN 

leprosy  of  which  he  died  should  be  attributed  to  his 
vices  and  carelessness.  Others  have  done  much  for  the 
lepers,  our  own  ministers,  the  government  physicians, 
and  so  forth,  but  never  with  the  Catholic  idea  of  merit- 
ing eternal  life.  —  Yours,  etc., 

''C.  M.  Hyde."i 

To  deal  fitly  with  a  letter  so  extraordinary,  I  must 
draw  at  the  outset  on  my  private  knowledge  of  the 
signatory  and  his  sect.  It  may  offend  others;  scarcely 
you,  who  have  been  so  busy  to  collect,  so  bold  to  pub- 
lish, gossip  on  your  rivals.  And  this  is  perhaps  the  mo- 
ment when  I  may  best  explain  to  you  the  character  of 
what  you  are  to  read :  1  conceive  you  as  a  man  quite  be- 
yond and  below  the  reticences  of  civility:  with  what 
measure  you  mete,  with  that  shall  it  be  measured  you 
again ;  with  you,  at  last,  1  rejoice  to  feel  the  button  off 
the  foil  and  to  plunge  home.  And  if  in  aught  that  I  shall 
say  I  should  offend  others,  your  colleagues,  whom  I  re- 
spect and  remember  with  affection,  1  can  but  offer  them 
my  regret;  I  am  not  free,  1  am  inspired  by  the  consid- 
eration of  interests  far  more  large ;  and  such  pain  as  can 
be  inflicted  by  anything  from  me  must  be  indeed  trifling 
when  compared  with  the  pain  with  which  they  read 
your  letter.  It  is  not  the  hangman,  but  the  criminal,  that 
brings  dishonour  on  the  house. 

You  belong,  sir,  to  a  sect  —  I  believe  my  sect,  and 
that  in  which  my  ancestors  laboured  —  which  has  en- 
joyed, and  partly  failed  to  utilise,  an  exceptional  advant- 
age in  the  islands  of  Hawaii.  The  first  missionaries  came ; 
they  found  the  land  already  self-purged  of  its  old  and 
1  From  the  Sydney  Presbyterian,  October  26,  1889. 
415 


FATHER  DAMIEN 

bloody  faith ;  they  were  embraced,  almost  on  their  ar- 
rival, with  enthusiasm ;  what  troubles  they  supported 
came  far  more  from  whites  than  from  Hawaiians;  and 
to  these  last  they  stood  (in  a  rough  figure)  in  the  shoes 
of  God.  This  is  not  the  place  to  enter  into  the  degree 
or  causes  of  their  failure,  such  as  it  is.  One  element 
alone  is  pertinent,  and  must  here  be  plainly  dealt  with. 
In  the  course  of  their  evangelical  calling,  they  —  or  too 
many  of  them  —  grew  rich.  It  may  be  news  to  you 
that  the  houses  of  missionaries  are  a  cause  of  mocking  on 
the  streets  of  Honolulu.  It  will  at  least  be  news  to  you, 
that  when  I  returned  your  civil  visit,  the  driver  of  my  cab 
commented  on  the  size,  the  taste,  and  the  comfort  of 
your  home.  It  would  have  been  news  certainly  to  my- 
self, had  any  one  told  me  that  afternoon  that  I  should 
live  to  drag  such  matter  into  print.  But  you  see,  sir, 
how  you  degrade  better  men  to  your  own  level ;  and  it 
is  needful  that  those  who  are  to  judge  betwixt  you  and 
me,  betwixt  Damien  and  the  devil's  advocate,  should 
understand  your  letter  to  have  been  penned  in  a  house 
which  could  raise,  and  that  very  justly,  the  envy  and  the 
comments  of  the  passers-by.  I  think  (to  employ  a 
phrase  ofyours  which  I  admire)  it  ''should  be  attributed  " 
to  you  that  you  have  never  visited  the  scene  of  Damien's 
life  and  death.  If  you  had,  and  had  recalled  it,  and 
looked  about  your  pleasant  rooms,  even  your  pen  per- 
haps would  have  been  stayed. 

Your  sect  (and  remember,  as  far  as  any  sect  avows 
me,  it  is  mine)  has  not  done  ill  in  a  worldly  sense  in  the 
Hawaiian  Kingdom.  When  calamity  befell  their  inno- 
cent parishioners,  when  leprosy  descended  and  took 
root  in  the  Eight  Islands,  a  quid  pro  quo  was  to  be 

416 


FATHER  DAMIEN 

looked  for.  To  that  prosperous  mission,  and  to  you,  as 
one  of  its  adornments,  God  had  sent  at  last  an  oppor- 
tunity. I  know  I  am  touching  here  upon  a  nerve  acutely 
sensitive.  I  know  that  others  of  your  colleagues  look 
back  on  the  inertia  of  your  Church,  and  the  intrusive  and 
decisive  heroism  of  Damien,  with  something  almost  to 
be  called  remorse.  I  am  sure  it  is  so  with  yourself ;  I 
am  persuaded  your  letter  was  inspired  by  a  certain 
envy,  not  essentially  ignoble,  and  the  one  human  trait  to 
be  espied  in  that  performance.  You  were  thinking  of 
the  lost  chance,  the  past  day;  of  that  which  should  have 
been  conceived  and  was  not;  of  the  service  due  and  not 
rendered.  Time  was,  said  the  voice  in  your  ear,  in  your 
pleasant  room,  as  you  sat  raging  and  writing;  and  if  the 
words  written  were  base  beyond  parallel,  the  rage,  I 
am  happy  to  repeat  —  it  is  the  only  compliment  I  shall 
pay  you  —  the  rage  was  almost  virtuous.  But,  sir, 
when  we  have  failed,  and  another  has  succeeded;  when 
we  have  stood  by,  and  another  has  stepped  in ;  when 
we  sit  and  grow  bulky  in  our  charming  mansions,  and 
a  plain,  uncouth  peasant  steps  into  the  battle,  under  the 
eyes  of  God,  and  succours  the  afflicted,  and  consoles  the 
dying,  and  is  himself  afflicted  in  his  turn,  and  dies  upon 
the  field  of  honour  —  the  battle  cannot  be  retrieved  as 
your  unhappy  irritation  has  suggested.  It  is  a  lost  bat- 
tle, and  lost  for  ever.  One  thing  remained  to  you  in  your 
defeat  —  some  rags  of  common  honour;  and  these  you 
have  made  haste  to  cast  away. 

Common  honour;  not  the  honour  of  having  done 
anything  right,  but  the  honour  of  not  having  done 
aught  conspicuously  foul;  the  honour  of  the  inert:  that 
was  what  remained  to  you.     We  are  not  all  expected 

417 


FATHER  DAMIEN 

to  be  Damiens;  a  man  may  conceive  his  duty  more 
narrowly,  he  may  love  his  comforts  better;  and  none 
will  cast  a  stone  at  him  for  that.  But  will  a  gentleman 
of  your  reverend  profession  allow  me  an  example  from 
the  fields  of  gallantry  ?  When  two  gentlemen  com- 
pete for  the  favour  of  a  lady,  and  the  one  succeeds  and 
the  other  is  rejected,  and  (as  will  sometimes  happen) 
matter  damaging  to  the  successful  rival's  credit  reaches 
the  ear  of  the  defeated,  it  is  held  by  plain  men  of  no 
pretensions  that  his  mouth  is,  in  the  circumstance,  al- 
most necessarily  closed.  Your  Church  and  Damien's 
were  in  Hawaii  upon  a  rivalry  to  do  well :  to  help,  to 
edify,  to  set  divine  examples.  You  having  (in  one  huge 
instance)  failed,  and  Damien  succeeded,  I  marvel  it 
should  not  have  occurred  to  you  that  you  were  doomed 
to  silence;  that  when  you  had  been  outstripped  in  that 
high  rivalry,  and  sat  inglorious  in  the  midst  of  your 
well-being,  in  your  pleasant  room  —  and  Damien, 
crowned  with  glories  and  horrors,  toiled  and  rotted  in 
that  pigstye  of  his  under  the  cliffs  of  Kalawao  —  you, 
the  elect  who  would  not,  were  the  last  man  on  earth  to 
collect  and  propagate  gossip  on  the  volunteer  who  would 
and  did. 

I  think  I  see  you  —  for  I  try  to  see  you  in  the  flesh  as 
I  write  these  sentences  —  1  think  1  see  you  leap  at  the 
word  pigstye,  a  hyperbolical  expression  at  the  best. 
''He  had  no  hand  in  the  reforms,"  he  was  "a  coarse, 
dirty  man  " ;  these  were  your  own  words ;  and  you  may 
think  it  possible  that  I  am  come  to  support  you  with 
fresh  evidence.  In  a  sense,  it  is  even  so.  Damien  has 
been  too  much  depicted  with  a  conventional  halo  and 
conventional  features;  so  drawn  by  men  who  perhaps 

418 


FATHER  DAMIEN 

had  not  the  eye  to  remark  or  the  pen  to  express  the  in- 
dividual; or  who  perhaps  were  only  blinded  and  si- 
lenced by  generous  admiration,  such  as  I  partly  envy 
for  myself — such  as  you,  if  your  soul  were  enlightened, 
would  envy  on  your  bended  knees.  It  is  the  least  de- 
fect of  such  a  method  of  portraiture  that  it  makes  the 
path  easy  for  the  devil's  advocate,  and  leaves  for  the 
misuse  of  the  slanderer  a  considerable  field  of  truth. 
For  the  truth  that  is  suppressed  by  friends  is  the  read- 
iest weapon  of  the  enemy.  The  world,  in  your  despite, 
may  perhaps  owe  you  something,  if  your  letter  be  the 
means  of  substituting  once  for  all  a  credible  likeness 
for  a  wax  abstraction.  For,  if  that  world  at  all  remem- 
ber you,  on  the  day  when  Damien  of  Molokai  shall  be 
named  Saint,  it  will  be  in  virtue  of  one  work :  your  let- 
ter to  the  Reverend  H.  B.  Gage. 

You  may  ask  on  what  authority  I  speak.  It  was  my 
inclement  destiny  to  become  acquainted,  not  with  Da- 
mien,  but  with  Dr.  Hyde.  When  I  visited  the  lazaretto 
Damien  was  already  in  his  resting  grave.  But  such  in- 
formation as  I  have,  I  gathered  on  the  spot  in  conver- 
sation with  those  who  knew  him  well  and  long:  some 
indeed  who  revered  his  memory ;  but  others  who  had 
sparred  and  wrangled  with  him,  who  beheld  him  with 
no  halo,  who  perhaps  regarded  him  with  small  respect, 
and  through  whose  unprepared  and  scarcely  partial 
communications  the  plain,  human  features  of  the  man 
shone  on  me  convincingly.  These  gave  me  what 
knowledge  I  possess;  and  I  learnt  it  in  that  scene  where 
it  could  be  most  completely  and  sensitively  understood 
—  Kalawao,  which  you  have  never  visited,  about  which 
you  have  never  so  much  as  endeavoured  to  inform  your- 

419 


FATHER   DAMIEN 

seir:  for,  brief  as  your  letter  is,  you  have  found  the 
means  to  stumble  into  that  confession.  "  Less  than  one- 
half  of  the  island,"  you  say,  **is  devoted  to  the  lepers." 
Molokai — '"Molokaiahina/' the  '  *grey, "  lofty,  and  most 
desolate  island  —  along  all  its  northern  side  plunges  a 
front  of  precipice  into  a  sea  of  unusual  profundity. 
This  range  of  cliff  is,  from  east  to  west,  the  true  end 
and  frontier  of  the  island.  Only  in  one  spot  there  pro- 
jects into  the  ocean  a  certain  triangular  and  rugged 
down,  grassy,  stony,  windy,  and  rising  in  the  midst 
into  a  hill  with  a  dead  crater:  the  whole  bearing  to  the 
cliff  that  overhangs  it  somewhat  the  same  relation  as  a 
bracket  to  a  wall.  With  this  hint  you  will  now  be  able 
to  pick  out  the  leper  station  on  a  map;  you  will  be 
able  to  judge  how  much  of  Molokai  is  thus  cut  oft 
between  the  surf  and  precipice,  whether  less  than  a 
half,  or  less  than  a  quarter,  or  a  fifth,  or  a  tenth  —  or 
say,  a  twentieth ;  and  the  next  time  you  burst  into  print 
you  will  be  in  a  position  to  share  with  us  the  issue  of 
your  calculations. 

I  imagine  you  to  be  one  of  those  persons  who  talk 
with  cheerfulness  of  that  place  which  oxen  and  wain- 
ropes  could  not  drag  you  to  behold.  You,  who  do  not 
even  know  its  situation  on  the  map,  probably  denounce 
sensational  descriptions,  stretching  your  limbs  the  while 
in  your  pleasant  parlour  on  Beretania  Street.  When  I 
was  pulled  ashore  there  one  early  morning,  there  sat 
with  me  in  the  boat  two  sisters,  bidding  farewell  (in 
humble  imitation  of  Damien)  to  the  lights  and  joys  of 
human  life.  One  of  these  wept  silently ;  I  could  not 
withhold  myself  from  joining  her.  Had  you  been  there, 
it  is  my  belief  that  nature  would  have  triumphed  even 

420 


FATHER  DAMIEN 

in  you;  and  as  the  boat  drew  but  a  little  nearer,  and 
you  beheld  the  stairs  crowded  with  abominable  defor- 
mations of  our  common  manhood,  and  saw  yourself 
landing  in  the  midst  of  such  a  population  as  only  now 
and  then  surrounds  us  in  the  horror  of  a  nightmare  — 
what  a  haggard  eye  you  would  have  rolled  over  your 
reluctant  shoulder  towards  the  house  on  Beretania  Street  I 
Had  you  gone  on ;  had  you  found  every  fourth  face  a 
blot  upon  the  landscape;  had  you  visited  the  hospital 
and  seen  the  butt-ends  of  human  beings  lying  there  al- 
most unrecognisable,  but  still  breathing,  still  thinking, 
still  remembering;  you  would  have  understood  that  life 
in  the  lazaretto  is  an  ordeal  from  which  the  nerves  of  a 
man's  spirit  shrink,  even  as  his  eye  quails  under  the 
brightness  of  the  sun ;  you  would  have  felt  it  was  (even 
to-day)  a  pitiful  place  to  visit  and  a  hell  to  dwell  in.  It  is 
not  the  fear  of  possible  infection.  That  seems  a  little 
thing  when  compared  with  the  pain,  the  pity,  and  the 
disgust  of  the  visitor's  surroundings,  and  the  atmosphere 
of  affliction,  disease,  and  physical  disgrace  in  which  he 
breathes.  I  do  not  think  I  am  a  man  more  than  usually 
timid;  but  I  never  recall  the  days  and  nights  I  spent 
upon  that  island  promontory  (eight  days  and  seven 
nights),  without  heartfelt  thankfulness  that  I  am  some- 
where else.  I  find  in  my  diary  that  I  speak  of  my  stay 
as  a  "grinding  experience":  I  have  once  jotted  in  the 
margin,  ''Harrowing  is  the  word";  and  when  the 
Mokolii  bore  me  at  last  towards  the  outer  world,  I  kept 
repeating  to  myself,  with  a  new  conception  of  their 
pregnancy,  those  simple  words  of  the  song  — 

"  'Tis  the  most  distressful  country  that  ever  yet  was  seen," 
421 


FATHER   DAMIEN 

And  observe :  that  which  I  saw  and  suffered  from  was 
a  settlement  purged,  bettered,  beautified;  the  new  vil- 
lage built,  the  hospital  and  the  Bishop-Home  excellently 
arranged ;  the  sisters,  the  doctor,  and  the  missionaries, 
all  indefatigable  in  their  noble  tasks.  It  was  a  different 
place  when  Damien  came  there,  and  made  his  great  re- 
nunciation, and  slept  that  first  night  under  a  tree  amidst 
his  rotting  brethren:  alone  with  pestilence;  and  look- 
ing forward  (with  what  courage,  with  what  pitiful  sink- 
ings of  dread,  God  only  knows)  to  a  lifetime  of  dress- 
ing sores  and  stumps. 

You  will  say,  perhaps,  I  am  too  sensitive,  that  sights 
as  painful  abound  in  cancer  hospitals  and  are  confronted 
daily  by  doctors  and  nurses.  I  have  long  learned  to  ad- 
mire and  envy  the  doctors  and  the  nurses.  But  there  is 
no  cancer  hospital  so  large  and  populous  as  Kalawao  and 
Kalaupapa;  and  in  such  a  matter  every  fresh  case,  like 
every  inch  of  length  in  the  pipe  of  an  organ,  deepens 
the  note  of  the  impression ;  for  what  daunts  the  on- 
looker is  that  monstrous  sum  of  human  suffering  by 
which  he  stands  surrounded.  Lastly,  no  doctor  or 
nurse  is  called  upon  to  enter  once  for  all  the  doors  of 
that  gehenna ;  they  do  not  say  farewell,  they  need  not 
abandon  hope,  on  its  sad  threshold ;  they  but  go  for  a 
time  to  their  high  calling,  and  can  look  forward  as  they 
go  to  relief,  to  recreation,  and  to  rest.  But  Damien 
shut  to  with  his  own  hand  the  doors  of  his  own  sep- 
ulchre. 

I  shall  now  extract  three  passages  from  my  diary  at 
Kalawao. 

A.  "  Damien  is  dead  and  already  somewhat  ungrate- 
fully remembered  in  the  field  of  his  labours  and  suflfer- 

422 


FATHER   DAMIEN 

ings.  'He  was  a  good  man,  but  very  officious,'  says 
one.  Another  tells  me  he  had  fallen  (as  other  priests  so 
easily  do)  into  something  of  the  ways  and  habits  of 
thought  of  a  Kanaka;  but  he  had  the  wit  to  recognise 
the  fact,  and  the  good  sense  to  laugh  at"  [over]  '*it. 
A  plain  man  it  seems  he  was;  I  cannot  find  he  was  a 
popular." 

B,  ''After  Ragsdale's  death  "  [Ragsdale  was  a  famous 
Luna,  or  overseer,  of  the  unruly  settlement]  "there  fol- 
lowed a  brief  term  of  office  by  Father  Damien  which 
served  only  to  publish  the  weakness  of  that  noble  man. 
He  was  rough  in  his  ways,  and  he  had  no  control.  Au- 
thority was  relaxed ;  Damien's  life  was  threatened,  and 
he  was  soon  eager  to  resign." 

C  "Of  Damien  I  begin  to  have  an  idea.  He  seems 
to  have  been  a  man  of  the  peasant  class,  certainly  of  the 
peasant  type :  shrewd ;  ignorant  and  bigoted,  yet  with 
an  open  mind,  and  capable  of  receiving  and  digesting  a 
reproof  if  it  were  bluntly  administered ;  superbly  gener- 
ous in  the  least  thing  as  well  as  in  the  greatest,  and  as 
ready  to  give  his  last  shirt  (although  not  without  human 
grumbling)  as  he  had  been  to  sacrifice  his  life;  essen- 
tially indiscreet  and  officious,  which  made  him  a  trouble- 
some colleague;  domineering  in  all  his  ways,  which 
made  him  incurably  unpopular  with  the  Kanakas,  but 
yet  destitute  of  real  authority,  so  that  his  boys  laughed 
at  him  and  he  must  carry  out  his  wishes  by  the  means 
of  bribes.  He  learned  to  have  a  mania  for  doctoring;  and 
set  up  the  Kanakas  against  the  remedies  of  his  regular 
rivals :  perhaps  (if  anything  matter  at  all  in  the  treatment 
of  such  a  disease)  the  worst  thing  that  he  did,  and  cer- 
tainly the  easiest.     The  best  and  worst  of  the  man  ap- 

4^3 


FATHER   DAMIEN 

pear  very  plainly  in  his  dealings  with  Mr.  Chapman's 
money;  he  had  originally  laid  it  out"  [intended  to  lay 
it  out]  "entirely  for  the  benefit  of  Catholics,  and  even 
so  not  wisely;  but  after  a  long,  plain  talk,  he  admitted 
his  error  fully  and  revised  the  list.  The  sad  state  of  the 
boys'  home  is  in  part  the  result  of  his  lack  of  control ;  in 
part,  of  his  own  slovenly  ways  and  false  ideas  of  hy- 
giene. Brother  officials  used  to  call  it  '  Damien's  China- 
town.' 'Well,'  they  would  say,  'your  Chinatown 
keeps  growing.'  And  he  would  laugh  with  perfect 
good-nature,  and  adhere  to  his  errors  with  perfect  ob- 
stinacy. So  much  I  have  gathered  of  truth  about  this 
plain,  noble  human  brother  and  father  of  ours;  his 
imperfections  are  the  traits  of  his  face,  by  which 
we  know  him  for  our  fellow;  his  martyrdom  and  his 
example  nothing  can  lessen  or  annul;  and  only  a  per- 
son here  on  the  spot  can  properly  appreciate  their 
greatness." 

I  have  set  down  these  private  passages,  as  you  per- 
ceive, without  correction;  thanks  to  you,  the  public  has 
them  in  their  bluntness.  They  are  almost  a  list  of  the 
man's  faults,  for  it  is  rather  these  that  I  was  seeking: 
with  his  virtues,  with  the  heroic  profile  of  his  life,  I  and 
the  world  were  already  sufficiently  acquainted.  I  was 
besides  a  little  suspicious  of  Catholic  testimony;  in  no 
ill  sense,  but  merely  because  Damien's  admirers  and 
disciples  were  the  least  likely  to  be  critical.  I  know 
you  will  be  more  suspicious  still;  and  the  facts  set 
down  above  were  one  and  all  collected  from  the  lips 
of  Protestants  who  had  opposed  the  father  in  his  life. 
Yet  1  am  strangely  deceived,  or  they  build  up  the 
image  of  a  man,  with  all  his  weaknesses,  essentially 

424 


FATHER  DAMIEN 

heroic,  and  alive  with  rugged  honesty,  generosity  and 
mirth. 

Take  it  for  what  it  is,  rough  private  jottings  of  the 
worst  sides  of  Damien's  character,  collected  from  the 
lips  of  those  who  had  laboured  with  and  (in  your  own 
phrase)  *'  knew  the  man  " ;  — though  I  question  whether 
Damien  would  have  said  that  he  knew  you.  Take  it, 
and  observe  with  wonder  how  well  you  were  served  by 
your  gossips,  how  ill  by  your  intelligence  and  sympa- 
thy ;  in  how  many  points  of  fact  we  are  at  one,  and  how 
widely  our  appreciations  vary.  There  is  something 
wrong  here ;  either  with  you  or  me.  It  is  possible,  for 
instance,  that  you,  who  seem  to  have  so  many  ears  in 
Kalawao,  had  heard  of  the  affair  of  Mr.  Chapman's 
money,  and  were  singly  struck  by  Damien's  intended 
wrong-doing.  I  was  struck  with  that  also,  and  set  it 
fairly  down ;  but  I  was  struck  much  more  by  the  fact 
that  he  had  the  honesty  of  mind  to  be  convinced.  I 
may  here  tell  you  that  it  was  a  long  business ;  that  one 
of  his  colleagues  sat  with  him  late  into  the  night,  mul- 
tiplying arguments  and  accusations ;  that  the  father  lis- 
tened as  usual  with  "perfect  good-nature  and  perfect 
obstinacy; "  but  at  the  last,  when  he  was  persuaded  — 
"  Yes,"  said  he,  ''I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you;  you 
have  done  me  a  service;  it  would  have  been  a  theft." 
There  are  many  (not  Catholics  merely)  who  require 
their  heroes  and  saints  to  be  infallible ;  to  these  the  story 
will  be  painful ;  not  to  the  true  lovers,  patrons,  and  ser- 
vants of  mankind. 

And  I  take  it,  this  is  a  type  of  our  division ;  that  you 
are  one  of  those  who  have  an  eye  for  faults  and  failures ; 
that  you  take  a  pleasure  to  find  and  publish  them ;  and 

4^5 


FATHER   DAMIEN 

that,  having  found  them,  you  make  haste  to  forget  the 
overvailing  virtues  and  the  real  success  which  had  alone 
introduced  them  to  your  knowledge.  It  is  a  dangerous 
frame  of  mind.  That  you  may  understand  how  danger- 
ous, and  into  what  a  situation  it  has  already  brought 
you,  we  will  (if  you  please)  go  hand-in-hand  through 
the  different  phrases  of  your  letter,  and  candidly  exam- 
ine each  from  the  point  of  view  of  its  truth,  its  apposite- 
ness,  and  its  charity. 

Damien  was  coarse. 

It  is  very  possible.  You  make  us  sorry  for  the  lepers 
who  had  only  a  coarse  old  peasant  for  their  friend  and 
father.  But  you,  who  were  so  refined,  why  were  you 
not  there,  to  cheer  them  with  the  lights  of  culture  ?  Or 
may  I  remind  you  that  we  have  some  reason  to  doubt 
if  John  the  Baptist  were  genteel;  and  in  the  case  of 
Peter,  on  whose  career  you  doubtless  dwell  approvingly 
in  the  pulpit,  no  doubt  at  all  he  was  a  '*  coarse,  head- 
strong "  fisherman !  Yet  even  in  our  Protestant  Bibles 
Peter  is  called  Saint. 

Damien  was  dirty. 

He  was.  Think  of  the  poor  lepers  annoyed  with  this 
dirty  comrade !  But  the  clean  Dr.  Hyde  was  at  his  food 
in  a  fine  house. 

Damien  was  headstrong. 

I  believe  you  are  right  again ;  and  I  thank  God  for  his 
strong  head  and  heart. 

Damien  was  bigoted. 

I  am  not  fond  of  bigots  myself,  because  they  are  not 
426 


FATHER  DAMIEN 

fond  of  me.  But  what  is  meant  by  bigotry,  that  we 
should  regard  it  as  a  blemish  in  a  priest  ?  Damien  be- 
lieved his  own  religion  with  the  simplicity  of  a  peasant 
or  a  child;  as  I  would  I  could  suppose  that  you  do. 
For  this,  I  wonder  at  him  some  way  off;  and  had  that 
been  his  only  character,  should  have  avoided  him  in 
life.  But  the  point  of  interest  in  Damien,  which  has 
caused  him  to  be  so  much  talked  about  and  made  him 
at  last  the  subject  of  your  pen  and  mine,  was  that,  in 
him,  his  bigotry,  his  intense  and  narrow  faith,  wrought 
potently  for  good,  and  strengthened  him  to  be  one  of 
the  world's  heroes  and  exemplars. 

Damien  was  not  sent  to  Molokai^  but  went  there  with- 
out orders. 

Is  this  a  misreading  }  or  do  you  really  mean  the  words 
for  blame  }  I  have  heard  Christ,  in  the  pulpits  of  our 
Church,  held  up  for  imitation  on  the  ground  that  His 
sacrifice  was  voluntary.  Does  Dr.  Hyde  think  other- 
wise } 

Damien  did  not  stay  at  the  settlement,  etc. 

It  is  true  he  was  allowed  many  indulgences.  Am  I 
to  understand  that  you  blame  the  father  for  profiting  by 
these,  or  the  officers  for  granting  them  ?  In  either  case, 
it  is  a  mighty  Spartan  standard  to  issue  from  the  house 
on  Beretania  Street;  and  I  am  convinced  you  will  find 
yourself  with  few  supporters. 

Damien  had  no  hand  in  the  reforms,  etc. 
I  think  even  you  will  admit  that  I  have  already  been 
frank  in  my  description  of  the  man  I  am  defending;  but 

427 


FATHER  DAMIEN 

before  I  take  you  up  upon  this  head,  I  will  be  franker 
still,  and  tell  you  that  perhaps  nowhere  in  the  world  can 
a  man  taste  a  more  pleasurable  sense  of  contrast  than 
when  he  passes  from  Damien's  *' Chinatown"  at  Kala- 
wao to  the  beautiful  Bishop-Home  at  Kalaupapa.  At 
this  point,  in  my  desire  to  make  all  fair  for  you,  I  will 
break  my  rule  and  adduce  Catholic  testimony.  Here  is 
a  passage  from  my  diary  about  my  visit  to  the  China- 
town, from  which  you  will  see  how  it  is  (even  now) 
regarded  by  its  own  officials:  ''We  went  round  all  the 
dormitories,  refectories,  etc. — dark  and  dingy  enough, 
with  a  superficial  cleanliness,  which  he"  [Mr.  Dutton, 
the  lay  brother]  "did  not  seek  to  defend.  *  It  is  almost 
decent,'  said  he;  'the  sisters  will  make  that  all  right 
when  we  get  them  here.' "  And  yet  I  gathered  it  was 
already  better  since  Damien  was  dead,  and  far  better 
than  when  he  was  there  alone  and  had  his  own  (not 
always  excellent)  way.  I  have  now  come  far  enough 
to  meet  you  on  a  common  ground  of  fact;  and  I  tell 
you  that,  to  a  mind  not  prejudiced  by  jealousy,  all 
the  reforms  of  the  lazaretto,  and  even  those  which  he 
most  vigorously  opposed,  are  properly  the  work  of 
Damien.  They  are  the  evidence  of  his  success ;  they 
are  what  his  heroism  provoked  from  the  reluctant  and 
the  careless.  Many  were  before  him  in  the  field ;  Mr. 
Meyer,  for  instance,  of  whose  faithful  work  we  hear  too 
little:  there  have  been  many  since;  and  some  had  more 
worldly  wisdom,  though  none  had  more  devotion,  than 
our  saint.  Before  his  day,  even  you  will  confess,  they 
had  effected  little.  It  was  his  part,  by  one  striking  act 
of  martyrdom,  to  direct  all  men's  eyes  on  that  distress- 
ful country.     At  a  blow,  and  with  the  price  of  his  life, 

428 


FATHER  DAMIEN 

he  made  the  place  illustrious  and  public.  And  that,  if 
you  will  consider  largely,  was  the  one  reform  needful  ; 
pregnant  of  all  that  should  succeed.  It  brought  money ; 
it  brought  (best  individual  addition  of  them  all)  the  sis- 
ters; it  brought  supervision,  for  public  opinion  and  pub- 
lic interest  landed  with  the  man  at  Kalawao.  If  ever 
any  man  brought  reforms,  and  died  to  bring  them,  it 
was  he.  There  is  not  a  clean  cup  or  towel  in  the  Bishop- 
Home,  but  dirty  Damien  washed  it. 

Damien  was  not  a  pure  man  in  his  relations  with 
women,  etc. 

How  do  you  know  that  .^  Is  this  the  nature  of  the 
conversation  in  that  house  on  Beretania  Street  which 
the  cabman  envied,  driving  past.^ — racy  details  of  the 
misconduct  of  the  poor  peasant  priest,  toiling  under  the 
cliffs  of  Molokai .? 

Many  have  visited  the  station  before  me;  they  seem 
not  to  have  heard  the  rumour.  When  I  was  there  I 
heard  many  shocking  tales,  for  my  informants  were 
men  speaking  with  the  plainness  of  the  laity;  and  I 
heard  plenty  of  complaints  of  Damien.  Why  was  this 
never  mentioned  ?  and  how  came  it  to  you  in  the  retire- 
ment of  your  clerical  parlour.? 

But  I  must  not  even  seem  to  deceive  you.  This  scan- 
dal, when  I  read  it  in  your  letter,  was  not  new  to  me.  I 
had  heard  it  once  before;  and  I  must  tell  you  how. 
There  came  to  Samoa  a  man  from  Honolulu;  he,  in  a 
public-house  on  the  beach,  volunteered  the  statement 
that  Damien  had  **  contracted  the  disease  from  having 
connection  with  the  female  lepers  " ;  and  I  find  a  joy  in 
telling  you  how  the  report  was  welcomed  in  a  public- 

429 


FATHER   DAMIEN 

house.  A  man  sprang  to  his  feet;  I  am  not  at  liberty  to 
give  his  name,  but  from  what  I  heard  I  doubt  if  you 
would  care  to  have  him  to  dinner  in  Beretania  Street. 

"You  miserable  little "  (here  is  a  word  I  dare  not 

print,  it  would  so  shock  your  ears).     "  You  miserable 

little ,"he  cried,   ''if  the  story  were  a  thousand 

times  true,  can't  you  see  you  are  a  million  times  a 

lower for  daring  to  repeat  it.?"     I  wish  it  could 

be  told  of  you  that  when  the  report  reached  you  in  your 
house,  perhaps  after  family  worship,  you  had  found  in 
your  soul  enough  holy  anger  to  receive  it  with  the  same 
expressions:  ay,  even  with  that  one  which  I  dare  not 
print;  it  would  not  need  to  have  been  blotted  away, 
like  Uncle  Toby's  oath,  by  the  tears  of  the  recording 
angel;  it  would  have  been  counted  to  you  for  your 
brightest  righteousness.  But  you  have  deliberately  cho- 
sen the  part  of  the  man  from  Honolulu,  and  you  have 
played  it  with  improvements  of  your  own.  The  man 
from  Honolulu  —  miserable,  leering  creature  —  com- 
municated the  tale  to  a  rude  knot  of  beach-combing 
drinkers  in  a  public-house,  where  (1  will  so  far  agree 
with  your  temperance  opinions)  man  is  not  always  at  his 
noblest;  and  the  man  from  Honolulu  had  himself  been 
drinking  —  drinking,  we  may  charitably  fancy,  to  excess. 
It  was  to  your  ''Dear  Brother,  the  Reverend  H.  B. 
Gage,"  that  you  chose  to  communicate  the  sickening 
story;  and  the  blue  ribbon  which  adorns  your  portly 
bosom  forbids  me  to  allow  you  the  extenuating  plea 
that  you  were  drunk  when  it  was  done.  Your  "dear 
brother  "  —  a  brother  indeed  —  made  haste  to  deliver  up 
your  letter  (as  a  means  of  grace,  perhaps)  to  the  religi- 
ous papers ;  where,  after  many  months,  I  found  and  read 

430 


FATHER   DAMIEN 

and  wondered  at  it;  and  whence  I  have  now  repro- 
duced it  for  the  wonder  of  others.  And  you  and  your 
dear  brother  have,  by  this  cycle  of  operations,  built  up 
a  contrast  very  edifying  to  examine  in  detail.  The  man 
whom  you  would  not  care  to  have  to  dinner,  on  the  one 
side;  on  the  other,  the  Reverend  Dr.  Hyde  and  the  Rev- 
erend H.  B.  Gage:  the  Apia  bar-room,  the  Honolulu 
manse. 

But  I  fear  you  scarce  appreciate  how  you  appear  to 
your  fellow-men ;  and  to  bring  it  home  to  you,  I  will  sup- 
pose your  story  to  be  true.  I  will  suppose  —  and  God 
forgive  me  for  supposing  it  —  that  Damien  faltered  and 
stumbled  in  his  narrow  path  of  duty;  I  will  suppose 
that,  in  the  horror  of  his  isolation,  perhaps  in  the  fever 
of  incipient  disease,  he,  who  was  doing  so  much  more 
than  he  had  sworn,  failed  in  the  letter  of  his  priestly 
oath  —  he,  who  was  so  much  a  better  man  than  either 
you  or  me,  who  did  what  we  have  never  dreamed  of 
daring  —  he  too  tasted  of  our  common  frailty.  ''O, 
lago,  the  pity  of  it !  "  The  least  tender  should  be  moved 
to  tears;  the  most  incredulous  to  prayer.  And  all  that 
you  could  do  was  to  pen  your  letter  to  the  Reverend 
H.  B.  Gage! 

Is  it  growing  at  all  clear  to  you  what  a  picture  you 
have  drawn  of  your  own  heart  ?  I  will  try  yet  once  again 
to  make  it  clearer.  You  had  a  father:  suppose  this  tale 
were  about  him,  and  some  informant  brought  it  to  you, 
proof  in  hand :  I  am  not  making  too  high  an  estimate  of 
your  emotional  nature  when  I  suppose  you  would  regret 
the  circumstance  ?  that  you  would  feel  the  tale  of  frailty 
the  more  keenly  since  it  shamed  the  author  of  your 
days  ?  and  that  the  last  thing  you  would  do  would  be 

4y 


FATHER  DAMIEN 

to  publish  it  in  the  religious  press  ?    Well,  the  man  who 

tried  to  do  what  Damien  did,   is  my  father,  and  the 

father  of  the  man  in  the  Apia  bar,  and  the  father 

of  all  who  love  goodness;  and  he  was 

your  father  too,  if  God  had  given 

you  grace  to  see  it 


432 


